Sounds Take Down Beavers In Series Opener, 9-3
May 15, 2010 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Third baseman Adam Heether homered and drove in five runs to lead the Nashville Sounds to a 9-3 victory over the visiting Portland Beavers in front of 9,049 fans on Saturday evening at historic Greer Stadium in the opener of a four-game series.
The Sounds (22-13) recorded their fourth win in the last six contests and improved to 7-3 in series openers on the year.
Heether (2-for-5) matched Joe Koshansky (May 7 at Albuquerque) for the highest single-game RBI total by a Nashville batter this season and was one of six Sounds hitters with multiple-hit efforts on the night.
Nashville got started quickly against Beavers starter Will Inman, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Josh Anderson, Ray Olmedo, and Trent Oeltjen opened the frame with consecutive singles, the last of which plate Anderson for the game's first run.
Portland rallied to grab a 2-1 lead in the second against Sounds starter Chuck Löfgren. The Beavers loaded the bases with one out on a Mike Baxter double sandwiched around a pair of walks. Chris Stewart tied the score with a sacrifice fly to center before Inman helped his own cause with a go-ahead RBI single through the left side of the infield.
The Sounds made it a 2-2 game in the home half of the second when Olmedo (3-for-5) blooped an opposite-field, two-out RBI single to left to plate Luis Cruz from second.
Heether staked Nashville to a 4-2 lead in the third when he slugged a two-run homer to left-center off Inman, his sixth roundtripper of the year which extended the infielder's hitting streak to a season-best seven games. Joe Koshansky also scored on the blast after being hit by a pitch to open the inning.
The Beavers pulled back within a run in the fourth as Löfgren issued a two-out, bases-loaded walk to Luis Durango to force in Aaron Cunningham.
Nashville broke the game wide open in the sixth with five runs off Portland reliever Matt Buschmann that increased the lead to 9-3.
Heether ripped a bases-loaded, three-run double to the wall in center that increased the Sounds' lead to 7-3. All three runners who scored on the two-bagger reached via walks earlier in the frame. Following yet another walk drawn by a Sounds batter (Drew Anderson), Jonathan Lucroy plated a pair of runs with a double to left-center to conclude the inning's scoring.
Löfgren (5-2) picked up his team-leading fifth win of the year after allowing three runs on three hits over five innings of work. He walked six batters and struck out five in his outing.
Left-hander Chase Wright followed with four scoreless frames for Nashville to pick up his first save of the year and third of his 10-year career. It was the southpaw's first relief outing of the season and his first overall appearance for the Sounds since May 3rd after being replaced in the rotation by Chris Capuano.
Inman (2-1) took his first loss of the year for Portland after he allowed four runs on 11 hits while fanning five batters in his five frames of action.
The clubs continue their series with a 2:05 p.m. matinee on Sunday afternoon. Right-hander Kameron Loe (4-1, 2.44) will take the hill for the Sounds to face Portland right-hander Josh Geer (0-3, 4.79).
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