Sounds blanked in series opener
Published on June 17, 2008 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Three Oklahoma pitchers combined on a six-hit shutout in the RedHawks' 6-0 victory over the Nashville Sounds on Tuesday evening at Greer Stadium in the opener of a four-game series.
RedHawks starter Steve Rowe (3-2) picked up the win after working six scoreless frames. Kazuo Fukumori followed with a pair of scoreless innings before Brian Gordon kept the Sounds off the board in the ninth to preserve the shutout.
Nashville, which has dropped all nine of its contests against Oklahoma this season, finished 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position on the evening.
Sounds outfielder Tony Gwynn went 2-for-4 to account for the club's lone multi-hit effort on the night.
Rehabbing right-hander David Riske made short work of the RedHawks in the top of the first inning, striking out the side in order while tossing only 12 pitches (nine strikes).
Oklahoma took a 1-0 lead in the second inning against Sounds right-hander Ben Howard. John Mayberry reached on a one-out infield single, moved to second on a Ryan Roberts walk, and scored on Travis Metcalf's blooper to center. Metcalf paced the Oklahoma offense with a 3-for-5, three-RBI evening.
The RedHawks doubled the lead to 2-0 in the second when Joaquin Arias tripled with one out and scored when ex-Sound Nelson Cruz legged out an RBI infield single to third.
Oklahoma added three runs against Howard in the seventh to stretch the lead to 5-0. Arias led off with a double and scored two batters later on a Chris Davis RBI single to center. Later in the frame, Howard was the victim of bad luck as what looked like a potential inning-ending double play grounder off the bat of Metcalf took a bad hop off the lip of the infield and bounced over the head of shortstop Adam Heether for a two-run single.
The visitors wrapped up their scoring in the eighth against Erasmo Ramirez when Cruz singled with two outs then scored on Davis' double to the wall in right-center, bringing the score to its final 6-0.
Howard (2-3) took the loss after allowing five runs on eight hits while walking four batters and striking out six over 5 1/3 innings of work.
One night after having his PCL co-leading 24-game hit streak snapped, Sounds catcher Vinny Rottino was kept off the basepaths by Oklahoma pitchers to end his on-base streak at 26 games, a run that was tied for the second-longest in the circuit in 2008.
The teams continue the series with a noon matinee on Wednesday afternoon at Greer. Right-hander Steve Bray (1-5, 4.19) will make a spot start for the Sounds as their pitching staff recovers from back-to-back doubleheaders in Iowa. Oklahoma will counter with right-hander Elizardo Ramirez (5-3, 3.72).
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