Bats Can't Complete Late Comeback, Fall, 6-4, to Sounds
IL Louisville Bats

Bats Can't Complete Late Comeback, Fall, 6-4, to Sounds

Published on September 19, 2025 under International League (IL)
Louisville Bats News Release


LOUISVILLE, Kentucky - The Louisville Bats dropped their third straight against the Nashville Sounds, losing 6-4 in the final Friday night game of the season. The Bats had two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth. However, they were unable to bring them home to tie the game. Louisville will look to tie the series with a pair of wins on the weekend.

Starting pitcher for Louisville, T.J. Sikkema, had some trouble at the top of the first. He loaded the bases after back-to-back walks but kept the runners in place and kept the Sounds off the board.

Edwin Rios was able to give the Bats an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the frame with a double against Sounds starter Carlos Rodriguez. He scored Francisco Urbaez, who also doubled to get on base. This had been common for the Bats this season, as the pair of doubles brings their total to 273 on the season, second most in the International League. The hits also make it 121 of 147 games where the Bats have doubled this season, and 78 of those games have featured multiple doubles.

After the first inning, Christian Encarnacion-Strand ended a 1-for-18 skid by crushing a 416-foot solo home run, his 11th of the season. The Bats increased their lead to two after the inning.

Nashville responded with multiple runs in the top of the third. Sikkema surrendered three singles in a row, and combined with a fielding error by Urbaez, the Sounds took a 3-2 lead.

Reiver Sanmartin came on to pitch to finish the fourth inning after Sikkema forced the first two outs. They both combined to throw a scoreless inning.

Other than the doubles and home run, the Bats struggled to string together hits. In the bottom of the fifth, they still struggled to grab hits but found a way to push a run across. Blake Dunn, Urbaez, Rios, and Ryan Vilade all drew walks, the fourth one resulting in a run scoring for Louisville and tying the game 3-3. Rodriguez was relieved by Blake Holub (W, 3-2) in the bottom of the sixth frame.

Coming off the tying run, Sanmartin pitched the sixth, then came out in the seventh for Tejay Antone (L, 0-1). He got into a jam and allowed two runs to score on a single from Ethan Murray. Antone could not finish the inning, and Buck Farmer came in to snag the last out, but the Sounds broke the tie and led 5-3.

Crisp baserunning was key for the Sounds in taking the lead. They finished the night with eight stolen bases as a team, including four from Jared Olivia. The eight steals allowed are the most in a single game in Louisville franchise history.

As the Bats were trying to keep the score at 5-3, Nashville scored again at the top of the ninth inning. A wild pitch from Luis Mey allowed Oliver Dunn to score and increase their lead to three.

The Bats tried to rally in the bottom of the ninth. With one away, Davis Wendzel drew a walk, and Levi Jordan singled to put two on. Dunn singled to score Wendel, but they could not complete the comeback and fell 6-4.

Nobody on the Bats finished the night with more than one hit. Dunn, Rios, and Encarnacion-Strand all finished with one RBI on one hit.

The Bats (70-78, 38-35 second half) will continue their final series of the season against the Sounds (84-62, 40-33 second half) on Saturday night. First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m. Nick Curran and Jim Kelch will be on the call for Sports Talk 790.

Check out the Louisville Bats Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



International League Stories from September 19, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central