PCL1 Nashville Sounds

RedHawks 'Cruz' Past Sounds, 13-9

June 18, 2008 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release


NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Nine runs off 14 hits was not enough to give the Nashville Sounds a victory as they gave up six home runs to the Oklahoma RedHawks and lost 13-9 on Wednesday afternoon at Greer Stadium.

Every Sounds starter notched at least one hit and the team recorded a season-high six doubles, but they also tied a season-high by giving up six home runs to the RedHawks. Chris Davis belted two home runs and had four RBIs to pace the Oklahoma offensive attack.

Steve Bray's first start of the season for the Sounds did not go as well as he had hoped. He gave up nine earned runs over three innings while surrendering four home runs to the RedHawks. It was the first spot start of the season for the reliever, who came into the game with a 1.71 ERA (5er/26.1ip) in his last 16 appearances.

Oklahoma got to Bray early when Davis launched his first two-run home run of the day well beyond the right field wall to plate the first runs of the game in the first inning. The longball was Davis's eighth of the year and came after a two-out double from former Sound Nelson Cruz, who paced the Oklahoma offense with a 4-for-5 afternoon. Another two-run homer in the top of the second inning doubled the RedHawks lead to four after Taylor Teagarden knocked his fifth dinger over the left field wall.

Nashville responded with a five-run rally in the bottom of the second inning with the help of seven hits off Ramirez. Brendan Katin, J.R. Hopf, and Adam Heether all had RBI hits to give the Sounds their largest scoring output since June 12 in just one inning at the plate.

The home run parade kept rolling for the RedHawks in the top of the third after Davis crushed his second jack of the day and ninth on the year to bring Cruz in to score and give the lead back to Oklahoma. After a Teagarden walk and a Nate Gold single, Drew Meyer added his second home run of the year and the fourth in the first three innings for the RedHawks to help extend their lead.

Not to be outdone, Laynce Nix belted a three-run homer to right-center field in the bottom of the third inning to score Nelson and Rottino for the Sounds. The homer was Nix's ninth on the year. Nashville then evened up the score at nine in the bottom of the fourth when Rottino knocked his second double of the day to score Callix Crabbe from second. The run came off Oklahoma reliever Yukinaga Maeda after he took over for Ramirez, who gave up eight earned runs off 10 hits in 2 1/3 innings but did not factor in the decision.

Oklahoma went up for good though in the top of the sixth inning when Cruz added two more to his team-leading RBI (57) total for the RedHawks with a two-run single off Nashville reliever Chris Narveson (2-8). Narveson was tagged with the loss after giving up two earned runs off three hits in four innings of work.

The RedHawks tacked on two more runs off their fifth and sixth home runs of the day when Nate Gold and Cruz knocked solo shots off Sounds reliever Jason Shiell in the eighth and ninth innings respectively.

Maeda (2-3) earned the win for Oklahoma after giving up one run in 2 2/3 innings pitched. Kea Kometani, Bill White, and Wes Littleton combined to throw three innings of scoreless relief to close out the game for the RedHawks.

The teams will continue the series on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at Greer Stadium. Right-hander Derrick Turnbow (1-1, 10.32) will take the mound for the Sounds and face off against RedHawks righty Kameron Loe (2-4, 5.71).

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Pacific Coast League Stories from June 18, 2008


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