Sounds Drop First of Series to Bulls

NASHVILLE - A six-run top of the third inning proved too much for Nashville to overcome in a 7-4 loss to the Durham Bulls on Friday night at First Horizon Park. Luke Adams doubled in the fifth and homered in the sixth as the only Nashville hitter to record a multi-hit effort in the loss.

Easton McGee got the start on the mound for the Sounds and worked a double play to help strand a runner in the first inning after allowing each of the first two batters of the game to reach via a single and the first of his two hit batters for the game. He worked a 1-2-3 second but ran into trouble in the third. The first four batters McGee faced in the third all reached with back-to-back singles providing the Bulls a 2-0 lead. The lead grew to six as Tatem Levins hit a grand slam. McGee struck out Brock Jones to strand a pair of runners and stop the bleeding.

After four perfect innings for Ty Johnson, Adams broke it up with a leadoff double in the bottom of the fifth and moved to third on an error. Luis Matos brought him home with a sacrifice fly for the first run of the night. Kaleb Bowman tossed four innings in relief of McGee, allowing three hits and one earned run with four strikeouts. Nashville brought themselves within striking distance in the sixth.

Ramon Rodriguez started the inning with a single and moved to third on a pair of groundouts. Luis Lara kept the inning alive and made it 7-2 with a RBI single before Adams cut the Bulls lead to 7-4 with a home run down the left field line. Nashville sent Ethan Murray to the plate to serve as the tying run in the seventh after an Eddys Leonard single and Brock Wilken walk but a double play and strikeout followed to get Evan Reifert out of the jam.

The final eight Nashville batters were retied by Durham pitching after sending the potential tying run to the plate. Junior Fernandez closed out the game on the mound for the Sounds tossing two hitless innings with three strikeouts to negate a pair of walks for a scoreless appearance.

The Sounds will look to rebound on Saturday night with RHP Garrett Stallings (3-2, 3.40 ERA) taking the ball on the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

POSTGAME NOTES:

NUKE NO FLUKE: Luke Adams crushed his sixth homer of the season for the Sounds with a two-run blast to left field in the bottom of the sixth inning to cap off a three-run inning, cutting the Bulls lead to 7-4. It marked his second two-run shot with the Sounds to go along with his fourth off right-handers and the third home run of his career at First Horizon Park. Adams is for third on the team in home runs, trailing Luis Lara (7) and Eddys Leonard (9). The Brewers no. 11-rated prospect is hitting .300 AVG (12-for-40), added two doubles, seven homers and 11 RBI in 12 games since his return from injury (5/26-6/12). He recorded his third multi-hit and the fourth multi-RBI game this season for the Sounds, going 2-for-4, 2B, HR and 2 RBI on Friday night.

ALL ABOUT THAT BASE: Brewers no. 5-rated prospect extended his on-base streak to 14 straight games with a 1-for-4 night that included a RBI and run scored. His 14-game on-base streak is the second-longest on the team behind Luke Adams (16). Lara ranks first in the International League and ranks second in Triple-A in OBP (.445). His 53 runs scored are tied for first in the International League in runs and rank T-4th in Triple-A. Adams' 16-game on-base streak is tied for the 10th longest-active on-base streak in the International League.

HAM AND 'GEES START: Easton McGee made the start for the Sounds and allowed six runs on six hits, including a grand slam off the bat of Tatum Levins. It marked the ninth time in his 11-year-career he has allowed 6+ runs with the last one coming on August 27, 2024, at Charlotte in his first year with the Sounds. It's just the fifth time a Nashville starter has allowed 6+ runs in a start this season and first since Carlos Rodriguez allowed seven runs on eight hits in 3.1 IP on May 9 on the road in Louisville.