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PCL1 Nashville Sounds

Season Ends With 8-1 Loss, Sacramento Clinches 2003 PCL Title

September 13, 2003 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release


SACRAMENTO – Nashville's pursuit of the third league championship in franchise history fell short on Friday evening as the Sacramento River Cats won the 2003 Pacific Coast League title with a 8-1 victory over the Sounds in front of a near-capacity crowd of 14,015 jubilant fans at Raley Field.

The win completed a three-game sweep in the best-of-five series for the Oakland Athletics' top affiliate, giving Sacramento its first-ever PCL crown and marking the first time that Nashville has been swept in a postseason series in the franchise's 26-year history.

PCL president Branch Rickey III presented the President's Cup to Sacramento owner Art Savage and general manager Gary Arthur in an on-field ceremony following the game.

Sacramento jumped on the board first, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a Jason Grabowski RBI single that scored Esteban German, who had walked to lead off the frame. The Sounds responded in the top of the second when Tomas de la Rosa knotted the contest by plating Jorge Toca with an RBI double into the left-field corner.

River Cats hurlers shut the door on any future scoring efforts as the Sounds failed to get a runner to second base after the second inning.

Mike Lockwood broke the tie in the fourth with a two-run homer to right on a 3-2, two-out pitch from Matt Guerrier, his first longball of the postseason. The ball narrowly eluded the outstretched glove of leaping rightfielder J.J. Davis. Both runs were unearned, however, because Luis Lopez – who scored on the homer – reached base with two down on an error by Sounds first baseman Jorge Toca.

The River Cats extended the lead to 6-1 in the sixth against three Nashville hurlers. Sounds killer Luis Lopez, who was named the Pacific Coast League postseason MVP following the contest, drove home the first run of the frame with a ground-rule double to left, scoring Graham Koonce and sending Guerrier to the showers. Frank Brooks came on in relief and surrendered an RBI single to Grabowski before being replaced by Jeff Bennett. Jose Flores touched the right-hander for a sacrifice fly, plating Lopez, to complete the inning's scoring.

Lopez finished the postseason with a .346 (9-for-26) with three home runs and 14 RBI to earn the MVP honors. Two of the longballs and eight of the RBI came against the Sounds.

Lockwood (3-for-4, three RBI) added another run for the home team in the seventh with an RBI single that brought home Grabowski, making the score 7-1, before the River Cats plated the game's final run in the eighth on Chris Prieto's one-out run-scoring single.

Sacramento starter Ed Yarnall (1-0) picked up the victory after limiting the Sounds to one run on four hits and fanning five over six innings, while Guerrier (1-1) was tagged with the loss after surrendering six runs (four earned) on seven hits over five innings.

Baseball returns to Greer Stadium in April 2004 when the Sounds open their 27th season of competition. Season tickets are available now by calling 615-242-4371 or visiting the Greer Stadium box office.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from September 13, 2003


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