Late Fielder Blast Nets Sounds 6-5 Win In Iowa
Published on June 10, 2005 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release
DES MOINES â Prince Fielder snapped out of an 0-for-10 hitless funk in a big way on Friday evening at Principal Park, belting a leadoff solo homer in the top of the ninth inning to propel the Nashville Sounds to a 6-5 victory over the Iowa Cubs in the second game of a four-game series.
Fielder's shot, which came on the first pitch he received from Cubs reliever Ryan O'Malley, was an opposite-field bomb to left and the slugger's team-leading 13th blast of the season.
Nashville catcher Mike Rivera, who went 3-for-5 on the evening, matched Fielder's feat later in the ninth, swatting his second homer in the series to give the visitors an insurance run and a 6-4 lead. The solo shot off Travis Phelps was the backstop's second roundtripper in a Sounds uniform.
Rivera's blast proved to be very helpful when Iowa's Scott McClain smacked a two-out solo homer off Sounds reliever Kane Davis in the bottom of the ninth to tighten the score to 6-5.
With the victory, Nashville (32-30) recorded its second consecutive last at-bat win over Iowa and retained its half-game lead over Memphis in the PCL American Conference Northern Division.
The win was the Sounds' 12th last at-bat victory of the year and the club's ninth in games in which they trailed in the seventh inning or later. Five of Nashville's seven wins over the division-rival Cubs this season have come in the Sounds' last at-bat.
The Sounds jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning without the benefit of a hit. Trent Durrington led off the contest and reached second on a two-base fielding error on Iowa third baseman Nate Frese. After moving to third on a groundout, the Aussie scored on a wild pitch by Cubs starter Jerome Williams.
The Cubs responded quickly, plating two in the bottom of the frame on veteran outfielder Ben Grieve's two-out, two-run homer off Sounds starter Ben Hendrickson to grab a 2-1 lead. The roundtripper to right-center was Grieve's sixth of the season.
Nashville tied things up in the top of the second when Steve Scarborough plated Rivera with a two-out RBI single.
Iowa took the lead in the bottom of the seventh inning when Frese scored from first on an RBI double by pinch-hitter Trenidad Hubbard, which chased Hendrickson. One out and two pitchers later, Mike Fontenot plated Hubbard with an RBI infield single off Sounds reliever Andy Pratt to up the Cubs' advantage to 4-2.
Former I-Cub Kevin Orie continued to haunt his former team, tying the contest at 4-4 in the top of the eighth with a pinch-hit, two-run single off Iowa reliever Jon Leicester. The knock, his second pinch hit of the season, gave the infielder six RBIs against Iowa in the first two games of the series.
Davis (3-1) earned the victory after working the final two innings for the Sounds, while O'Malley (1-2) was tagged with the loss after allowing Fielder's ninth-inning blast.
The teams meet in the third game of the four-game set at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday evening. Left-hander Jeff Housman (2-5, 5.55) takes the hill for Nashville to face fellow southpaw Rich Hill (1-1, 5.27).
Pacific Coast League Stories from June 10, 2005
- Albuquerque Wins 10-4 Over Express - Round Rock Express
- Isotopes Even Series with 10-4 Victory - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Royals five-game winning streak snapped in 5-3 loss - Omaha Storm Chasers
- Late Fielder Blast Nets Sounds 6-5 Win In Iowa - Nashville Sounds
- Zephyrs defeat RedHawks - New Orleans Baby Cakes
- Zephyrs hand RedHawks second straight loss - Oklahoma City Comets
- Rickie Weeks Called Up To Big Leagues - Nashville Sounds
- Isotopes to hold youth skills clinic - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Tucson scores three in ninth, one in tenth for win - Tucson Sidewinders
- Sidewinders slide by Beavers with late-inning comeback - Portland Beavers
- Willingham named Marlins' Minor League Player of the Month - Albuquerque Isotopes
- New Promotions Highlight This Week's Homestand - Round Rock Express
- Express update - Round Rock Express
- Sounds offer free tickets to VBS students - Nashville Sounds
- Tacoma notes - Tacoma Rainiers
- Sweeney gets first win back as Beavers open series with 6-1 victory - Portland Beavers
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