Sounds Fall To Redbirds, 9-7; 2004 Season Finale Monday
September 6, 2004 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release
MEMPHIS â The Nashville Sounds mashed three home runs but couldn't overcome an early 7-0 deficit, falling 9-7 to the host Memphis Redbirds on Sunday evening at Auto Zone Park in the third game of a four-game series.
The Redbirds took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning with a two-out rally against Nashville spot starter Greg Martin, who was making his first start of the season and just the second start of his three-year pro career. Javier Colina scored the contest's first run when he came home on a two-out RBI double into the right field corner by Chris Prieto. Bo Hart followed with a two-run single to up the Redbirds' advantage to three.
Memphis added a run in the third on Mike Mahoney's two-out RBI single then posted another three-spot against Martin in the fourth. Redbirds starting pitcher Evan Rust opened the frame by drawing a walk and later scored on Scott Seabol's RBI double. A second run scored on a wild pitch before Kevin Witt drove a sacrifice fly to the wall in dead center to make it a 7-0 contest.
The Sounds got on the board in the top of the sixth with a four-run outburst. Rich Thompson singled to open the frame, moved to second when Terry Shumpert was hit by a Rust pitch, then scored when a single to right field by Tony Alvarez skipped under the glove of Memphis rightfielder Dee Haynes.
After Luis Figueroa was retired on a flyout, Redbirds skipper Danny Sheaffer summoned Steve Stemle from the bullpen. First baseman Carlos Rivera promptly greeted the right-hander by crushing a 1-0 offering over the wall in right for his 17th home run of the season to make it a 7-4 game.
Memphis got a pair of runs back in the bottom of the sixth against Sounds reliever Mike Crudale. Prieto greeted the right-hander with a triple to right then scored when the first pitch to Hart, the next batter, eluded catcher J.R. House for a passed ball. With two down in the inning, John Gall plated Hart â who was hit by a pitch and stole second â with an RBI single to right to make the score 9-4.
The Sounds pulled within a pair of runs at 9-7 with back-to-back one-out home runs off Memphis reliever Chad Paronto in the top of the seventh. After Thompson walked to open the inning then stole his team-leading 41st base, Alvarez put up two runs with one swing of the bat, smoking a one-out two-run blast deep onto the burm beyond the left field wall for his 14th roundtripper of the season. Third baseman Luis Figueroa followed with an opposite field solo shot, his fifth tater of the year and second of the series, to complete Nashville's seventh set of consecutive jacks this season.
Rust (3-1) picked up the victory after allowing three runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings, fanning five batters along the way. Martin (0-1) allowed seven runs on nine hits and walked three batters over his four innings of work to absorb the loss, his first career Triple-A decision.
Former Sound Al Reyes earned his league-leading 23rd save with a scoreless ninth. It was his sixth save against Nashville this season.
The teams wrap up the 2004 season with a 1:05 p.m. matinee finale on Monday afternoon. The Sounds will send a yet to be determined pitcher to the mound to face Memphis right-hander Alan Benes (8-9, 5.60).
NOTES: With Sunday's loss, the 2004 Sounds (62-79) are assured of matching or setting the worst record in franchise history. The 2000 club currently holds that dubious distinction after finishing 63-79 ... Tomas de la Rosa went 2-for-4 to continue his torrid hitting. The infielder is batting .395 (30-for-76) since August 1 ... Chris Truby turned in a 1-for-2 effort for the Sounds to hold his team-leading batting average at an even .300, which would mark the second-lowest average to pace the club in the last 10 years (only Craig Wilson's team-best .283 mark in 2000 was lower) ... Two pitchers (Pat Mahomes and Kevin Jarvis) were called upon to pinch hit by skipper Trent Jewett during the contest due to an injury-shortened Sounds bench. Both hurlers struck out ... The 9-7 loss was the Sounds' 39th defeat in a game decided by two runs or less in 2004, matching Memphis for the most among PCL clubs ... Nashville fell to 4-52 when allowing six or more runs.
Pacific Coast League Stories from September 6, 2004
- Beavers drop season finale, stage set for playoff showdown - Portland Beavers
- Sacramento River Cats Pitch in with Corporate Sponsors to Help Raise Money for Charities and Schools - Sacramento River Cats
- River Cats to Begin playoffs at Raley Field on Wednesday - Sacramento River Cats
- 'Topes finish 2004 with two-straight wins - Albuquerque Isotopes
- Tacoma shuts out Tucson in finale - Tucson Sidewinders
- RedHawks drop regular season finale - Oklahoma City Comets
- Nashville Blanks 'Birds in Season Finale - Memphis Redbirds
- Five Players, Two Coaches Receive End Of Season Call-Ups To Pittsburgh - Nashville Sounds
- Mahomes Dazzles, Sounds End On Winning Note - Nashville Sounds
- Beavers conclude regular season Monday at PGE Park - Portland Beavers
- Isotopes announce player awards for 2004 - Albuquerque Isotopes
- 'Birds Outlast Sounds, 9-7 - Memphis Redbirds
- Sounds Fall To Redbirds, 9-7; 2004 Season Finale Monday - Nashville Sounds
- Isotopes beat RedHawks; playoff opponent set - Oklahoma City Comets
- 'Topes top Oklahoma 9-2 - Albuquerque Isotopes
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