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PCL1 Memphis Redbirds

Memphis Sweeps Nashville in Sunday Doubleheader

April 28, 2013 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Memphis Redbirds News Release


NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Memphis Redbirds swept the cross-state rival Nashville Sounds in a Sunday afternoon doubleheader at Greer Stadium. The Redbirds shut out the Sounds, 1-0, in the twinbill opener and survived for a 2-1 victory in the finale. The twinbill made up Saturday evening's rainout.

The two wins gave the Redbirds (13-9) a series split and their first doubleheader sweep since July 24, 2010 at Oklahoma City.

Memphis has now scored two runs or less in eight of their last 10 games (4-4 record).

An Oscar Taveras home run and five shutout innings from John Gast backed a 1-0 shutout in the first game on Sunday.

The shutout victory was Memphis' PCL-leading fifth of the season, and also was the fourth involving Gast as the starting pitcher.

Gast (3-0) extended his Redbirds record of consecutive scoreless frames to 29 2/3 innings to begin the 2013 campaign. While also fanning seven, the left-hander retired 15 of 19 batters faced, yielding two hits, a walk, and a hit by pitch.

Taveras (2-for-2) and Ryan Jackson (3-for-3) accounted for five of the Redbirds' six hits in the first game.

Taveras' second homer of the season in the top of the third was all Memphis would need on the afternoon. The big fly off Mike Fiers came with two outs in the frame, and was the first in the last six games by the Redbirds.

Victor Marte stranded the tying run at second base while converting the two-inning save, his fifth of the season.

Fiers (0-1) allowed one run (home run) on six hits with three strikeouts in a seven-inning complete-game loss.

In the twinbill finale, Memphis survived a late charge by Nashville in the seventh inning to win 2-1 for the sweep.

Memphis scored its first run in the third inning as catcher Travis Tartamella reached on catcher's interference. The backstop moved to second on a sacrifice, and then came home to score on a Justin Christian RBI single.

Chad Huffman laced a home run on the guitar-shaped scoreboard in left-center to extend the Redbirds' lead to 2-0 in the seventh. Huffman's second long ball of the season proved to be the game-winning run.

Nashville avoided their second shutout of the day by scoring in the bottom of the seventh, again in controversial style. Catcher Dayton Buller singled and was pinch run for once reaching second base. After a Scooter Gennett single, the home plate umpire indicated that Eric Fornataro balked during the subsequent at-bat, which allowed the runners to advance.

In his second spot start of the year, Nick Greenwood struck out four over a season-high three scoreless innings. Sam Freeman (1-0) gave up a pair of doubles during two shutout frames and was declared the winner. Fornataro stranded the game-winning run at the plate for the two-inning save, which was the first of his Triple-A career.

Zach Kroenke (0-3) allowed one unearned run on three hits in four innings for the hard-luck loss.

The Redbirds continue their road trip by traveling to face the Albuquerque Isotopes (Triple-A Dodgers) for a four-game series. Right-hander Seth Maness (2-2, 4.32) takes the hill for the Redbirds in Monday's 7:35 pm opener against Albuquerque lefty Angel Casto (2-1, 3.50).

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