PCL1 Nashville Sounds

Nelson Enjoys Homecoming But Sounds Fall In Iowa

Published on May 3, 2005 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release


DES MOINES, Iowa – The Nashville Sounds opened their road trip with a loss on Monday evening at Principal Park, falling 10-8 to the division rival Iowa Cubs in the opener of a four-game series.

Iowa (9-15) jumped out to an early 10-2 lead and withstood a late Sounds comeback to post the victory. With the loss, Nashville (14-11) falls into a first-place tie with Memphis in the PCL American Conference Northern Division.

Brad Nelson – playing near his hometown of Algona, Iowa – didn't disappoint family and friends in attendance, turning in a 3-for-5, two-RBI effort that included his first career Triple-A home run and his team-leading ninth double.

Dave Krynzel recorded his third consecutive multiple-hit effort for Nashville, leading all Sounds batters with his 4-for-5 evening. He also added his team-leading third outfield assist of the year in the losing effort.

The Sounds, who have recorded nine of their 14 victories in come-from-behind fashion, rallied to plate six runs over the final three frames and had the potential tying run at the plate in shortstop Steve Scarborough when the game ended.

The offenses got started quickly as the teams each plated a pair of runs in the first inning. Nashville drew first blood as Krynzel led off with his fourth bunt single of the season, was sacrificed to second, moved to third on a Prince Fielder single, and scored on Corey Hart's sacrifice fly. Nelson followed with a two-out RBI single to bring in Fielder for a 2-0 lead, although Kevin Orie, who had walked earlier in the frame, was thrown out at third by ageless PCL veteran Trenidad Hubbard to end the inning.

Iowa third baseman Scott McClain evened the game with one swing of the bat in the bottom of the frame when he belted a two-out, two-run homer off Sounds starter Andy Pratt, the infielder's fourth roundtripper of the year.

The Cubs jumped ahead 3-2 in the second when Richard Lewis scooted home on a Pratt wild pitch before things unraveled for the Nashville left-hander in the fourth. Pratt retired only one of the nine Iowa batters he faced in the inning, allowing five runs, as the host Cubs pulled ahead 8-2. After loading the bases by allowing a pair of hits sandwiched around a walk, Pratt issued a bases-loaded walk to Lewis then surrendered a two-run single to catcher Geovany Soto. Hubbard followed with an RBI single to make it 8-2 and chase Pratt.

Mike Meyers came on in relief and coaxed a fly ball to center from Calvin Murray. Krynzel, the Sounds' centerfielder, registered his third assist of the season when he threw out Renyel Pinto, the Cubs' starting pitcher, at the plate to end the frame.

The Iowa offense continued to pile on the runs in the fourth, adding a pair against Meyers to increase the lead to 10-2. The Nashville right-hander settled down after that, however, and retired 11 of the final 12 batters he faced before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning.

Nashville began its comeback in the top of the seventh, sending eight batters to the plate to register three runs against Iowa reliever Phil Norton. With the bases loaded and one out, Chris Barnwell picked up his first career Class AAA RBI when he plated Scarborough with a sacrifice fly. After Fielder drew a walk to re-load the bases, Kevin Orie slapped an two-run single up the middle to halve the lead at 10-5. Orie, the Sounds' leading batter, has hit safely in 18 of his 19 games with an at-bat this season.

Nelson drilled his first career Triple-A home run off the scoreboard in right field to open the eighth inning and pulled the Sounds within 10-6. The roundtripper came against Cubs reliever Jose Mercedes. Two outs later, pinch-hitter Trent Durrington singled to center and came around to score when Krynzel ripped his eighth double into the right field corner, his fourth hit of the night, to make it a 10-8 contest. Russ Rohlicek relieved Mercedes and induced a popout from Fielder to end the threat with the potential tying runs on base.

The never-say-die Sounds rallied again with two outs in the ninth. Nelson doubled to left and scored on Julio Mosquera's RBI single to bring Scarborough, who had homered in the bottom of the ninth to give Nashville a win on Sunday afternoon, to the plate representing the tying run. Rohlicek popped him up, however, and quelled the comeback.

Pinto (1-2) picked up his initial 2005 victory, surrendering four runs on seven hits in his 6 1/3 frames. Pratt (1-2) took the loss after allowing eight runs (seven earned) in only 2 1/3 innings of work. Rohlicek worked the final 1 1/3 innings to earn his first save of the season for the I-Cubs.

The teams meet in game two of the four-game set at 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday evening at Principal Park. Right-hander Jose Capellan (1-1, 6.05) toes the rubber for the Sounds. He'll face Iowa right-hander Jon Leicester (0-0, 0.00).

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 3, 2005


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