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PCL1 Nashville Sounds

Cubs Down Sounds In Series Finale, 8-7

July 22, 2007 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release


DES MOINES - Felix Pie belted a grand slam to key a six-run fifth inning for the Iowa Cubs in an 8-7 victory over the Nashville Sounds on Sunday afternoon at Principal Park in the finale of a four-game series.

With the win over the Sounds (62-40), Iowa earned a series split and reduced Nashville's lead in the PCL American Conference Northern Division to 5 ½ games. The Sounds finished their road trip with an even 4-4 record.

The teams combined for 15 runs on the afternoon after scoring only 15 total runs between them in the first three games of the series on Friday and Saturday. Nashville lost Sunday's game despite out-hitting Iowa, 15-7, in the contest.

Nashville took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning with a two-out rally against Cubs starter Cory Bailey, who was the Sounds' closer in 2000. After the first two batters of the frame were retired, Charles Thomas and Drew Anderson (3-for-5) ripped back-to-back doubles to account for the first run before team RBI leader Joe Dillon increased his total to 69 on the year with a run-scoring single to right.

The Sounds added a run in the fourth when Algona, Iowa native Brad Nelson continued his strong series with a leadoff double to the wall in right-center then scored on Vinny Rottino's RBI single to increase the lead to 3-0.

Nashville starter Elmer Dessens, making his second rehab appearance with the club, retired the first 10 Iowa batters in order before the Cubs broke through for a run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Pie (3-for-4) reached on a one-out single and came home on Matt Murton's two-out RBI double into the right field corner to pull the home team within 3-1.

Nelson continued his big day in the fifth when he belted a two-run homer to right off Bailey to increase the Nashville lead to 5-1.

Dennis Sarfate took over on the Nashville hill in the bottom of the fifth and ran into immediate trouble. After Iowa loaded the bases with a single, double, and walk to open the frame, the right-hander issued a five-pitch walk to pinch-hitter Jorge Cortes to force home Geovany Soto and make it a 5-2 game. Eric Patterson followed and drew another bases-loaded walk from Sarfate, who was removed after facing five batters and retiring none of them. Patterson's walk plated Josh Kroeger from third and decreased the Nashville lead to 5-3.

Greg Aquino inherited a no-out, bases-loaded jam from Sarfate and promptly gave up a grand slam on his second pitch to Pie, the Iowa outfielder's ninth home run of the year. The blast to right, the second slam allowed by Nashville pitchers this season, propelled the Cubs to a 7-5 lead.

The Sounds pulled back within a run at 7-6 in the top of the sixth when Anderson tripled with one out a then scored on a Thomas groundout, but the Cubs responded in the bottom of the frame when Kroeger belted a one-out solo homer to center off Nashville reliever Marino Salas, the first baseman's seventh roundtripper of the year.

Vinny Rottino (3-for-5) made it a one-run contest once again at 8-7 in the top of the seventh as the Sounds scored for the fifth consecutive inning. The backstop ripped a two-out solo homer to left-center to greet Cubs reliever Ben Howard, his eighth longball of the year and first in over a month.

Nashville had a chance to tie the contest or take the lead in the top of the eighth inning when it loaded the bases with two outs against the Iowa bullpen before Andy Abad was caught looking by Clay Rapada to end the inning as the Cubs escaped the jam unscathed.

Bailey (3-1), who left in line for the loss before Iowa's six-run outburst in the fifth, picked up the win after allowing five runs on 11 hits over five innings in his second start of the year for the Cubs.

Rapada recorded the final four outs to notch his team-leading 15th save for Iowa.

Sarfate (2-6) was saddled with the loss after he allowed five runs on two hits and three walks and did not retire a batter in his 28-pitch outing.

Dessens turned in another solid rehab outing for the Sounds but did not factor in the decision. The right-hander allowed one run on two hits while striking out four batters over four innings. He threw 52 pitches, 34 for strikes. In two outings, Dessens has posted a 1.35 ERA (1er/6.2ip) with no walks and six strikeouts for the Sounds.

The Sounds take Monday off before opening an eight-game homestand on Tuesday at Greer Stadium. Nashville will welcome Fresno (AAA-Giants) and Sacramento (AAA-A's) to town for four-game series, their lone meeting with each club in 2007.

Left-hander Zach Jackson (9-5, 4.79) will man the bump for Nashville in Tuesday's 7 p.m. series opener and face Fresno left-hander Travis Blackley (7-5, 4.62).

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