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PCL1 Nashville Sounds

Sounds Increase Division Lead To Eight With 13-9 Win

August 14, 2003 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release


PORTLAND - Tony Alvarez went 4-for-4 with three RBI, missing the cycle by a triple, to lead the Nashville Sounds to a 13-9 victory over the Portland Beavers on Wednesday evening at PGE Park in Nashville's longest nine-inning game of the year.

With the win, Nashville (71-53) extended their lead in the PCL East to a season-best eight games. Second-place New Orleans was shut out by Tucson, 1-0, earlier in the evening.

The Sounds offense did most of its damage early on, plating 10 runs in the first four innings of play. Nashville jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first on a Rob Mackowiak two-run homer - the infielder's second of the season - and an Alvarez RBI single.

The Beavers pulled within a run in the home half of the second with a pair of solo home runs against Nashville starter Dave Williams. Xavier Nady and Donaldo Mendez did the damage; the longball was each player's fourth of the year.

Nashville responded by taking a commanding 9-2 lead with a six-run third, highlighted by Alvarez's two-run homer off Portland starter Brian Tollberg. The blast was his sixth of the campaign. Mackowiak - who finished 2-for-5 with three RBI and three runs scored - ripped an RBI double and Mike Gulan, Blake Barthol, and Dave Doster all contributed run-scoring singles to account for the other four runs in the frame. Doster, who failed to homer for the first time in four games, finished with a 2-for-5 effort.

Sounds shortstop Aaron Holbert increased the advantage to 10-2 in the fourth with a sacrifice fly before the Beavers rallied for four runs in their half of the inning, highlighted by Khalil Greene's two-run single.

Holbert and Barthol each added an RBI single in the top of the sixth to push the Nashville lead to six runs at 12-6. Greene struck again in the bottom of the inning for Portland, belting a two-run homer off of Sounds reliever Jeff Bennett for his eighth roundtripper of the year to make it a 12-8 game.

Portland manager Rick Sweet didn't even bother to stick around for the entire contest, getting tossed in the top of the eighth inning. Nashville reliever Duaner Sanchez got into the offensive act in that inning, ripping an RBI single to plate the Sounds' final run of the evening.

Bennett (1-1) picked up the victory in relief of Williams, while Tollberg (5-3) was tagged with the loss. Jim Mann came on to record the final five outs for the Sounds to earn his second save of the year.

The teams wrap up their four-game series with another 9:05 p.m. CDT meeting on Thursday evening. Nashville left-hander Tom Fordham (1-1, 4.87) will take the hill to face Portland right-hander Dennis Tankersley (7-10, 4.52).

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Pacific Coast League Stories from August 14, 2003


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