PCL1 Nashville Sounds

Ninth inning Nix blast wins it for Sounds

Published on August 3, 2006 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release


FRESNO, Calif. - Laynce Nix belted a three-run home run with two outs in the top of the ninth inning to propel the Nashville Sounds to a dramatic 4-1 victory over the Fresno Grizzlies on Thursday evening at Grizzlies Stadium.

The victory was the tenth last at-bat win for Nashville (60-53), which increased its division lead back to 2 ½ games over Iowa.

Nix's game-winning blast came on a 3-2 offering from Fresno reliever Erick Threets and traveled nearly 400 feet to left-center. Chris Barnwell and Kennard Bibbs, who had each walked with two outs, scored on the roundtripper, Nix's 12th of the year and second with the Sounds.

The late homer made a winner out of Sounds starter Ben Hendrickson (9-5), who turned in an outstanding effort. The right-hander turned in his longest outing of the year with eight innings pitched and held Fresno to just one run on six hits while striking out five to earn his team-leading ninth win.

Nix (3-for-5) extended his season-best hitting streak to 14 games with a first-inning single off Fresno starter Nick Pereira. Nix has recorded 10 hits in his initial 18 at-bats for the Sounds (.556).

Barnwell and Bibbs each stole his 10th base of the season in the ninth, becoming the seventh and eighth Sounds players to amass a double-digit theft total in 2006.

The Sounds grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on Kennard Bibbs' two-out RBI single to right that plated recent addition Andrew Beattie, who had opened the frame with a walk.

The Grizzlies tied the contest in the home half of the frame on a run-scoring groundout off the bat of Clay Timpner, who had the unique distinction of being thrown out attempting to steal three different times in the game by Sounds catcher Chad Moeller.

Nashville missed an opportunity to move back in front in the fourth, failing to score after putting runners on the corners with no outs. Pereira induced a popout from Moeller for the first out then escaped the jam when Hendrickson bunted a ball in the air back to the pitcher that turned into an inning-ending double play.

Hendrickson was on cruise control in the middle frames, retiring eight straight batters from the fifth through seventh and facing the minimum number of batters from the fifth through the eighth. Fresno placed only one runner into scoring position after the second inning.

Allan Simpson came on in relief of Hendrickson in the ninth and worked a scoreless frame to notch his ninth save of the year.

Grizzlies reliever Carlos Hines (1-3) took the loss after walking Barnwell and Bibbs to put the ducks on the pond prior to Nix's game-winner.

The teams continue their series with another 9:05 p.m. CT matchup on Friday evening. Knuckleballer Jared Fernandez (6-4, 2.70) will toe the rubber for Nashville and face Fresno southpaw Jared Misch (0-1, 4.70).

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Pacific Coast League Stories from August 3, 2006


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