Sounds' Skid Hits Unlucky Seven In Vegas

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - The Nashville Sounds suffered their seventh straight loss on Thursday evening at Cashman Field, falling 6-2 to the host Las Vegas 51s.

Nashville (38-37) fell 2 1/2 games behind first-place New Orleans with the setback.

Las Vegas left-hander Darrin Gorski (2-1) struck out 11 Sounds batters while twirling a quality start to earn the win. The southpaw held Nashville to two runs (one earned) on five hits over his 6 1/3 frames of action.

The Sounds took a short-lived 1-0 lead in the first inning when Irving Falu (3-for-4) singled and later scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Hunter Morris.

Las Vegas responded with a pair of runs in the home half of the initial frame to grab a 2-1 advantage against spot starter Johnnie Lowe. Andrew Brown and Cory Vaughn contributed RBIs for the 51s in the inning.

51s catcher Travis d'Arnaud (3-for-5) upped the home team's lead to 5-1 in the second when he slugged a three-run homer to left off Lowe, the backstop's sixth big fly of the year.

Lowe (0-2) took the loss in his spot start for the Sounds, surrendering five runs on six hits over his three innings of action.

Brown recorded his second RBI of the night for Las Vegas in the fourth, when his two-out single off Sounds reliever Dustin Molleken brought home d'Arnaud, who had doubled.

Nashville plated its second run of the night with a two-out rally in the fifth as Logan Schafer coaxed a free pass from Gorski and later scored on a Falu single.

The visitors mounted an unsuccessful rally in the ninth, putting runners on the corners with two outs courtesy of a Hector Gomez walk and a pinch-hit single off the bat of Pete Orr. However, 51s reliever Eric Goeddel popped up Schafer to close out the contest.

The Sounds look to avoid their second consecutive series sweep in the 9:05 p.m. CT finale between the clubs on Friday evening. Right-hander Ariel Pena (4-5, 4.27) will man the bump for Nashville and face Las Vegas right-hander Giancarlo Alvarado (2-3, 6.80).