Gamel Homers Again In Sounds' 4-3 Win
April 13, 2009 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Mat Gamel belted his second home run of the season as the Nashville Sounds edged the Oklahoma City RedHawks, 4-3, on Monday night at Greer Stadium in the opener of a four-game series.
Gamel, who leads the Sounds with 10 RBIs on the year, extended his season-opening hit streak to five games and is batting .556 (10-for-18) on the year.
The visitors took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning against Sounds starter Tim Dillard. Julio Borbon led off with his first double of the season and scored the contest's first run two batters later on Brandon Boggs' RBI single to center.
Gamel powered the Sounds to a 2-1 lead in the home half of the frame when he mashed a mammoth two-run homer to right that landed on Chestnut Street well beyond the outfield wall. The blast, which came against Oklahoma starter Derek Holland and plated Alcides Escobar (double), was Gamel's second of the year.
Hernan Iribarren increased the Sounds' lead to 4-1 in the fourth with a two-run double to left-center that brought in Brendan Katin and Erick Almonte, who had opened the frame with consecutive singles off Holland.
Oklahoma City got a run back in the top of the fifth on Boggs' second RBI knock of the evening, a one-out single off Dillard that plated Casey Benjamin.
Following a 27-minute rain delay in the top of the seventh inning, the RedHawks cut the lead to one at 4-3 after loading the bases with no outs against Sounds reliever Chris Smith. Ben Harrison's one-out RBI infield single brought home Benjamin. Smith escaped further damage by striking out Scott Thorman and inducing an inning-ending flyout from Royce Huffman, leaving the bags full.
Chris Narveson worked the final two innings in hitless fashion to preserve the victory and notch the Sounds' first save of the season.
Dillard (1-0) became the first Nashville starting pitcher to earn a win on the year after allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits in his five innings of action. Holland (0-1) took the loss for the RedHawks in his season debut. He gave up four runs on five hits over four frames.
Gamel and Escobar each extended their season-opening hit streaks to five games in the contest, the lone Nashville batters to hit safely in all of the club's games.
The teams continue their series with another 6 p.m. meeting on Tuesday evening. Left-hander Sam Narron (0-0, 5.40) will man the bump for the Sounds to face Oklahoma City right-hander Luis Mendoza, who makes his first appearance of the year.
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