Sounds Lose Heartbreaker To Express, 7-5
Published on September 1, 2006 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Carlos Villanueva carried a perfect game and a 5-0 lead into the eighth inning on Friday evening at Greer Stadium before the Round Rock Express shocked the Sounds by scoring seven runs over the final two innings of play to steal a 7-5 victory over Nashville in the opener of a four-game series.
With the loss, Nashville (75-66) was forced to keep the champagne on ice for one more day as the second-place Iowa Cubs were also victorious on the evening (3-2 over Omaha), leaving the Sounds' magic number at one and reducing the lead in the American Conference Northern Division to two games with three to play.
Villanueva, who retired the first 21 Express batters in order, was left with a no-decision after allowing two runs on two hits and striking out a season-high nine batters in the outing.
Nashville entered the ninth holding a 5-2 lead as the bullpen was summoned to finish off a potential pennant-clinching victory.
Chris Demaria relieved Villanueva and retired the first batter before running into trouble. Mike Rodriguez laced a triple to the base of the wall in center and scored one batter later on a groundout to make it a 5-3 contest. Brooks Conrad followed with a double off the right field wall to chase Demaria.
Alec Zumwalt took over on the hill and was greeted by an RBI single off the bat of former Sound J.R. House to make it a one-run contest at 5-4. The Express rallied continued when the right-hander served up back-to-back home runs to Eric Munson, whose two-run shot improbably put the visitors on top, and Brian Gordon.
Munson's blast was his second of the contest and also his second of the season for Round Rock. Gordon's roundtripper was his 16th of the campaign.
Zumwalt (0-3) was saddled with the loss after suffering his fourth blown save of the season. He allowed three runs on three hits while recording only one out.
The last at-bat loss marked the 18th time that an opponent recorded a victory in its last at-bat against the Sounds and only the fourth time that Nashville suffered a defeat in a game it led after eight innings of play.
The Sounds jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning against Express starter Taylor Buchholz. Tony Gwynn led off with a single to left that extended his hitting streak to 12 games, matching his longest of the year. After he stole second for his 30th theft of the campaign and advanced to third on a passed ball, Gwynn scored the game's first run on Chris Barnwell's RBI single.
Neither team scored again until the bottom of the sixth when the Sounds plated three two-out runs to up the lead to 4-0. After the first two men were retired, Nashville loaded the bases with two outs against Buchholz on a Graham Koonce single and a pair of walks to Andrew Beattie and Jermaine Clark. The home team then unloaded them on Zach Sorensen's two-run single to left coupled with a throwing error by Brian Gordon that allowed Clark to score from first on the play.
With his sixth-inning single, Koonce extended his hitting streak to five games, matching his longest of the season.
Brent Abernathy pushed the Nashville lead to 5-0 in the seventh with a two-out RBI single to right off Express reliever Mike Gallo that scored Barnwell, who had reached with a two-out single of his own.
Villanueva retired the first 21 Round Rock batters in order before House, who played in Music City in 2004, broke up the perfect game with a clean leadoff single to center to open the eighth. The crowd at Greer Stadium responded with an impromptu extended standing ovation saluting the right-hander's effort.
The following batter, Munson, ended the shutout bid with one swing of the bat. The catcher slugged a two-run homer to right, his first of the year, to make it a 5-2 game.
Gallo (2-0) was the beneficiary of the late Round Rock heroics, earning the win after allowing one run in his two frames of work.
Travis Driskill worked a perfect ninth to notch his 15th save of the year.
The Sounds will try to lock up the division title against Saturday when the teams continue the series with a 6 p.m. meeting at Greer. Left-hander Dana Eveland (6-4, 2.18) will make the start for Nashville and face Round Rock right-hander Jared Gothreaux (8-9, 4.37).
Pacific Coast League Stories from September 1, 2006
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- Bass finishes strong in Tacoma - Tucson Sidewinders
- Blank solid in third start for Beavers - Portland Beavers
- Zephyrs beat Redbirds - New Orleans Baby Cakes
- Sounds Lose Heartbreaker To Express, 7-5 - Nashville Sounds
- Iowa's Schlosser named 2006 Sports Turf Manager of the Year - PCL1
- Royals game notes - Omaha Storm Chasers
- Oklahoma RedHawks Game Notes - Oklahoma City Comets
- Rottino, Sarfate Called Up By Brewers - Nashville Sounds
- Sounds Can Clinch Playoff Berth Tonight At Greer - Nashville Sounds
- Misch, Grizzlies close out home season on a high note - Fresno Grizzlies
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