Sounds Slip Past Baby Cakes 3-2

METAIRIE, La. - An eighth inning flurry of hits helped the Nashville Sounds get past the New Orleans Baby Cakes 3-2 Friday night.
Renato Nuñez tripled just inside the first base bag and down into the right field corner to spark the rally. Joey Wendle ripped a base hit to right field to plate Nuñez and put the Sounds on top for good. Chris Carter followed Wendle's single with a base knock of his own but Nashville was unable to add an insurance run.
New Orleans looked poised to draw even in the home half of the inning after Ramón Cabrera tripled to center field to lead off the frame. Raúl Alcántara quelled the threat with three straight ground outs to leave Cabrera stranded. In all, Nashville pitching stranded ten Baby Cakes runners.
The reigning Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week , Ben Bracewell, was handed a 1-0 lead to work with before he took the bump. The Sounds jumped out to a 1-0 advantage in the opening inning as Melvin Mercedes started the game off with a double to right field. Jaff Decker's fly out moved Mercedes along 90 feet and he came in to score on a wild pitch from Omar Bencomo.
Back-to-back two-baggers from Wendle and Chris Carter to open the second inning doubled Nashville's lead over New Orleans 2-0.
Bracewell's scoreless streak came to an end at 15 1/3 innings. New Orleans broke through in the third inning on a ground rule double from Moisés Sierra. The bounce over the wall cost the Baby Cakes a run as Steve Lombardozzi was forced to go back to third base.
Bracewell worked his way out of a jam in the fifth inning to preserve the 2-1 lead. Chad Hinshaw singled to start the frame and was followed by a bunt single from Eury Pérez. Lombardozzi sacrificed Hinshaw and Perez up a base but Bracewell clamped down and stuck out Sierra and induced a line out from Cal Towey.
The Baby Cakes tied the game in the sixth off Sounds reliever Corey Walter. The right-hander yielded three consecutive singles capped off by a run-scoring base knock from Grant Green to make it a 2-2 ball game.
Lou Trivino worked around a leadoff single to earn his third save of the season with a scoreless ninth inning.
Yairo Muñoz went 1-for-5 on the night to extend his hitting streak to eight games. He was unable to extend his streak of multi-hit games to six games.
Game two of the four-game set is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at Shrine on Airline. Right-hander Josh Smith (4-1, 3.72) starts for the Sounds against right-hander Scott Copeland (9-11, 4.92) for the Baby Cakes. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
The 2017 season is the Sounds' 40th in franchise history and their third as the Oakland Athletics' top affiliate. 2018 season ticket memberships are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.