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PCL1 Nashville Sounds

Koonce Blasts Two Homers In 7-6 Sounds Win

June 4, 2006 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release


NASHVILLE, Tenn. - First baseman Graham Koonce belted a pair of home runs and starter Dennis Sarfate turned in a solid outing on three days' rest to lead the Nashville Sounds to a 7-6 victory over the Albuquerque Isotopes on Sunday evening at Greer Stadium.

Nashville (33-24) increased its winning streak to five games, matching its longest this season, and has won six of its last seven games overall. The Sounds' 33 victories tie the club for the most in the Pacific Coast League, along with Albuquerque and Salt Lake.

The game marked the Sounds' eighth one-run decision in the club's last nine games; Nashville has won five of those contests.

The Sounds struck first, grabbing a 2-0 lead against Albuquerque starter Nic Ungs in the bottom of the first inning. Tony Gwynn led off the frame with a double down the left field line and scored one batter later when Ungs misfired while throwing to first on Kennard Bibbs' sacrifice bunt. After Bibbs stole second and Dave Krynzel walked behind him, Brent Abernathy ripped a one-out single to center to increase the lead to 2-0.

Koonce doubled the advantage to 4-0 in the bottom of the third with his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to right-center off Ungs that scored Krynzel. Koonce, who joined the Sounds on May 31, belted 23 longballs a year ago for Triple-A Indianapolis.

Catcher Mark Johnson and Chris Barnwell continued the scoring in the third with back-to-back one-out RBI doubles that resulted in a 6-0 Sounds lead.

Barnwell paced Nashville with a 3-for-4 evening to extend his hitting streak to six games and push his average to a team-leading .335 on the season, two points ahead of Gwynn's .333 mark.

Koonce turned on the power again in the fourth when he extended the Nashville lead to 7-0 with his second homer of the evening, a solo homer to right off Ungs. He is the fourth different Sounds player to record a two-homer game this season.

Former Sound Jason Wood put Albuquerque on the board in the top of the sixth inning with a two-run homer off the scoreboard in left-center. The blast, which came off Nashville starter Dennis Sarfate and scored Chris Aguila, was the infielder's eighth of the year. Wood's roundtripper was only the second given up by Sarfate this season in 60 1/3 innings.

The Isotopes made a game of it in the ninth when Aguila belted a two-out grand slam off Sounds reliever Chris Mabeus to pull Albuquerque within 7-6. The slam was Aguila's first home run of the season. All four runs were unearned, however, due to a throwing error by Nashville third baseman Vinny Rottino that opened the inning. Mabeus recovered to strike out Wood for the final out of the game to secure the victory.

Gwynn notched his team-leading 24th multiple-hit effort with a 2-for-4 night. The Sounds' leadoff hitter has compiled seven multi-hit games in his last eight contests (16-for-34, .471).

Sarfate (4-2), who started on three days' rest, picked up his team-leading fourth victory of the season with a solid outing, allowing two runs on four hits over 5 2/3 innings of work. He walked five batters and struck out six in the outing; both totals equal season highs for the right-hander.

Ungs (6-5) took the loss after giving up seven runs (six earned) on 10 hits in his six frames.

The teams continue the series with a 7 p.m. contest on Monday night. Knuckleballer Jared Fernandez (1-1, 3.52) will take the hill on only two days' rest for Nashville to face Isotopes right-hander Jeff Fulchino (2-3, 4.50).

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