PCL1 Nashville Sounds

Sounds Complete Four-Game Sweep Of I-Cubs

April 11, 2010 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release


DES MOINES, Iowa - The Nashville Sounds completed a season-opening sweep of the division-rival Iowa Cubs on Sunday afternoon at Principal Park, winning 4-2 to notch their fourth straight victory.

Nashville (4-0) remains the lone undefeated team in the Pacific Coast League and is off to its best start since 2003, when that eventual division-winning Sounds club opened with an 8-0 mark.

Iowa plated the game's first run for the first time in the series when left fielder Jason Dubois led off the bottom of the second by depositing a 1-2 Chris Waters offering over left field wall. The veteran's second home run of the year gave the Cubs a 1-0 advantage.

The Sounds rallied to knot the score in the top of the third. Shortstop Luis Cruz led off with a double to left off Iowa starter Casey Coleman, was sacrificed to third by Waters, and made it a 1-1 contest when he trotted home on a Norris Hopper sacrifice fly to right.

Iowa pulled back in front by a run in the home half of the frame as a leadoff walk to fellow hurler Coleman came back to haunt Waters. After the left-hander recovered to retire the next two hitters, Micah Hoffpauir connected for an RBI double to right, although Brendan Katin threw him out at third on the play to end the inning.

Nashville grabbed its first lead of the afternoon in the fourth at 3-2 as Katin belted his PCL-leading third home run of the young season, a two-run blast to center off Coleman. Trent Oeltjen also scored on the roundtripper after opening the inning by reaching on a fielding error by Cubs first baseman Bryan LaHair.

Third baseman Adam Heether upped the visitors' advantage to 4-2 in the seventh when he greeted Cubs reliever Scott Maine by blasting his second home run of the year, a solo shot to left.

Waters (1-0) continued a series-long trend of strong outings by Nashville starting pitchers. The southpaw allowed two runs on three hits while striking out four in his five innings of work to pick up the victory in his Sounds debut.

The Nashville bullpen continued its early-season dominance. Tim Dillard followed Waters with two scoreless frames in his first appearance of the year. Zach Braddock worked into and out of a two-on, two-out jam in the eighth to post a scoreless innings. Chris Smith closed things out by nailing down his third save of the series with a 1-2-3 ninth.

Sounds second baseman Eric Farris' single to lead off the eighth inning was the infielder's first career Triple-A knock, snapping an 0-for-12 start to his year.

Hopper singled in the top of the fifth inning to become the lone Nashville player to record a hit in each of the club's first four games this season.

Coleman (0-1) drew the loss despite working a quality start for Iowa. The right-hander allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits over six frames.

The Sounds continue their road trip on Monday with the 6:35 p.m. opener of a four-game series against the Omaha Royals at Rosenblatt Stadium. Left-hander Chase Wright will man the bump for Nashville to make his first start of the season. He'll be opposed by Royals right-hander Bryan Bullington.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from April 11, 2010


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