PCL1 Nashville Sounds

Sounds Derail Express In Playoff Opener, 4-0

Published on September 6, 2006 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release


NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Carlos Villanueva combined with a pair of relievers on a two-hit, 4-0 shutout of the Round Rock Express to provide the Nashville Sounds a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five PCL American Conference Finals on Wednesday evening at Greer Stadium.

Four of Nashville's six victories against Round Rock this season have been shutouts.

With the win, the Sounds improved to 9-3 in their initial game of postseason play over the franchise's 29-year history. The contest marked the fourth time in Nashville's 12 postseason appearances that the Sounds have played their initial playoff game at home; Nashville is 4-0 in those contests.

Villanueva (1-0) picked up the victory with his fifth straight quality start for the Sounds and his second dominant start in a row against the Express. The right-hander allowed only two hits over seven scoreless frames, walking a pair of batters and striking out six. He threw 93 pitches, 61 for strikes. On Friday, Villanueva carried a perfect game into the eighth inning against the Express before surrendering a pair of runs and taking a no-decision.

Villanueva and Round Rock's Taylor Buchholz were locked in a pitcher's duel for the first half of the contest. The teams combined for a total of five hits over the first five-and-a-half innings before the Sounds finally broke a scoreless deadlock in the bottom of the sixth.

Brent Abernathy (2-for-4), the Sounds' hottest hitter since the beginning of August, gave Nashville a 2-0 lead when he ripped a two-out, two-run double down the right field line on an 0-2 pitch from Buchholz. Chris Barnwell (single) and Andrew Beattie (walk) scored on the knock.

Barnwell went 3-for-4 on the evening to continue his recent hot hitting. The shortstop finished the regular season riding an eight-game hitting streak. Abernathy wrapped up his regular season campaign with a seven-game hit streak.

Tony Gwynn doubled the Nashville lead to 4-0 in the seventh when he belted a two-run homer off Round Rock reliever Travis Driskill. Dave Krynzel, who reached on a pinch-hit single to chase Buchholz one batter earlier, scored on the blast. Gwynn finished the regular season with a career-best four home runs.

Sounds reliever Luther Hackman worked out of a crucial, inherited bases-loaded jam in the top of the eighth as the visitors attempted to creep back into the contest. After Allan Simpson walked the bags full, Hackman retired Express cleanup hitter J.R. House on a popup to shallow right then combined with first baseman Graham Koonce to retire Eric Munson on a groundout to first. Koonce ranged to his right and made a running throw to a hustling Hackman, who beat Munson to the bag by a half-step to escape the inning without harm.

Hackman finished the contest by working a 1-2-3 ninth to notch his first save of the postseason and second overall save with Nashville this season.

Buchholz (0-1) was saddled with the loss after giving up three runs on six hits over 6 1/3 innings. He struck out eight batters in his outing to match his season high for punchouts.

The teams resume the best-of-five series with game two at 7 p.m. CT on Thursday evening at Greer Stadium. Left-hander Zach Jackson (4-6, 4.12) will toe the rubber for the Sounds and face Round Rock right-hander Jared Gothreaux (9-9, 4.34).

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Pacific Coast League Stories from September 6, 2006


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