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PCL1 Nashville Sounds

Hart, Lehr star; Sounds hammer Isotopes, 11-5

June 23, 2005 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release


ALBUQUERQUE - The Nashville Sounds enjoyed a productive all-around effort on Thursday evening, lighting up the Albuquerque Isotopes for 14 hits in an 11-5 victory in the third game of a four-game series.

Corey Hart paced the Sounds offense with four hits, missing the cycle by a homer, and second baseman Warren Morris and third baseman Tony Zuniga each posted a season-high four RBIs on the evening.

On the mound, Nashville starter Justin Lehr tossed his fourth quality start in his last five outings to pick up his team-leading seventh victory and went 2-for-2 at the plate with a pair of runs scored to help his own cause.

With the victory, Nashville (40-35) maintained its 2 ½ game lead over Memphis in the PCL American Conference Northern Division. The Sounds posted a double-digit run total for the tenth time this season.

The Sounds jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning against Albuquerque starter Peter Bauer. Hart ripped a one-out double into the left field corner and advanced to third on a throwing error by Isotopes left fielder Mark Little. Zuniga put the Sounds on the board when he followed with an RBI groundout to second, his first run produced in a Nashville uniform.

Nashville upped the advantage to 4-0 with a three-run third. Lehr led off the frame with an infield single, his sixth hit in 10 at-bats this season. After Dave Krynzel popped out, Ryan Knox followed and was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second.

PCL All-Star Trent Durrington extended the Sounds' longest hitting streak of the season to 15 games with an RBI single to left, plating Lehr to make it a 2-0 game. Morris continued his hot start for the Sounds when he followed with a two-run triple to center off Bauer to clear the bases and extend the lead to 4-0.

Durrington's 15-game hit streak is the longest by a Nashville player since 2001, when outfielder Adam Hyzdu led all minor leaguers with a 26-gamer.

The Isotopes halved the Sounds' lead in the bottom of the third. Catcher Ryan Jorgensen led off the frame with a solo homer off Lehr, his second of the campaign, to put Albuquerque on the board. Bauer followed with a single and scored the second run of the inning on Chris Aguila's RBI single later in the inning.

The Sounds took command of the game in the fourth, when they sent 11 batters to the plate and erupted for five runs to pull ahead 9-2. The heart of the order did the damage for Nashville. With one out, cleanup hitter Morris stroked a bases-loaded, two-run single to right, Hart followed with an RBI double (his second two-bagger of the evening), and Zuniga added a run-scoring single to chase Bauer. Mike Rivera greeted Isotopes reliever Mike Flannery with a sacrifice fly to bring in Hart with the final run of the inning.

With his pair of doubles on the evening, Hart jumped ahead of the departed Kevin Orie for the team lead with 19 two-baggers.

Albuquerque got a run back in the bottom of the sixth when former Sound Jason Wood scored on a Jorgensen RBI single.

Zuniga put the Sounds into double digits with a two-run homer to deep center off Isotopes reliever Carlos Martinez in the top of the seventh, the infielder's first roundtripper in a Nashville uniform. The blast, which increased Nashville's lead to 11-3, brought home Hart, who ripped his sixth triple of the season to lead off the frame.

Albuquerque wrapped up the evening's scoring with a pair of ninth-inning runs against Sounds reliever Clint Weibl. Mark Little ripped a one-out solo homer and Todd Sears added an RBI single in the frame.

Lehr (7-6) earned his team-leading seventh victory by holding Albuquerque to three runs on eight hits over six innings of work. The right-hander reached base in all three of his plate appearances and scored a pair of runs to help his own cause, upping his average to .636 on the year (7-for-11).

Bauer (3-5) took the loss after getting hammered for nine runs on 10 hits over only 4 1/3 frames.

Weibl worked the final three innings, allowing two runs, to pick up his second save of the season for the Sounds.

The teams wrap up the four-game set with an 8:05 p.m. CT finale on Friday evening. Right-hander Gary Glover (1-0, .086) takes the hill for the Sounds to face Albuquerque southpaw Les Walrond (4-5, 4.57).

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Pacific Coast League Stories from June 23, 2005


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