Sounds Close Homestand With 4-2 Loss
Published on June 8, 2003 under National Women's Football Association (NWFA)
Nashville Dream News Release
NASHVILLE -- The visiting Fresno Grizzlies used 14 hits and turned three double plays to hand the Nashville Sounds a 4-2 defeat in the finale of a four-game series on Sunday evening at Greer Stadium.
Centerfielder Tony Alvarez finished 3-for-3 in the loss for the Sounds, who fell to 33-28 on the year but remain in second place in the PCL East division and only 1 ½ games behind front-runner New Orleans.
Fresno jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Todd Linden scored on a throwing error by Nashville shortstop Aaron Holbert in the top of the first inning. The Grizzlies doubled their advantage in the second when Jason Ellison plated Lance Niekro with an RBI single to center off Sounds starter Matt Guerrier.
The home club got on the board in the third the old-fashioned way. Catcher Brad King opened the frame with a single, moved to second on a Guerrier sacrifice, took third on Dave Doster's single, and scored on an Alvarez sacrifice fly to right.
The Grizzlies added a pair of runs in the fifth to increase the lead to 4-1. Ellison led off the inning by reaching on a fielding error by Nashville third baseman Mike Gulan and scored an unearned run later in the frame on Brian Dallimore's RBI single to right. The Grizzlies' second baseman scored two batters later on a Tony Torcato RBI double into the right field corner.
The Sounds pulled within 4-2 when J.J. Davis scored on a King groundout in the seventh, then squandered a golden opportunity in the bottom of the eighth when they loaded the bases with none out but failed to score. Gulan grounded into his third double play of the contest, hitting a sharp grounder to third baseman Niekro who stepped on the bag then threw home to put out Doster. Carlos Rivera popped up to end the threat.
Fresno starter Matt Blank (2-3) picked up the win after allowing one run over six innings of work. Manny Aybar came in to work a scoreless ninth and earn his ninth save. Guerrier (0-5) was tagged with the loss after being touched for four runs on 11 hits in five innings. He remains winless through nine starts.
Mike Lincoln worked a scoreless inning, striking out two, in the first outing of a rehab assignment.
The Sounds travel to New Orleans tomorrow to take on the division-rival Zephyrs in a four-game series, the first leg of an eight-game road trip. It will be Nashville's first meeting against a divisional opponent other than Memphis this season. Sounds right-hander John Wasdin (6-2, 3.86) will start the 7:05 p.m. opener and face New Orleans right-hander Doug Sessions (1-1, 3.16).
Baseball returns to Greer Stadium on Tuesday, June 17, when the Sounds welcome the Iowa Cubs to town for the clubs' fourth and final meeting of the year.
National Women's Football Association Stories from June 8, 2003
- Sounds Close Homestand With 4-2 Loss - Nashville Dream
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