PCL1 Nashville Sounds

Sounds No-Hit By Sky Sox; Greer Stadium Hosts 2nd No-No Of 2003 Season

Published on August 2, 2003 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release


NASHVILLE — Right-hander Chris Gissell and left-hander Jesus Sanchez combined on the first no-hitter in Colorado Springs Sky Sox history in a 3-0 victory over the Nashville Sounds on Saturday evening at Greer Stadium in front of 10,431 fans in the opener of a four-game series.

Sanchez, who tossed the final two innings, struck out Nashville second baseman Dave Doster swinging on a 0-2 pitch to end the contest and record history. The no-hitter was the fifth thrown against the Sounds in the team's 26-year history and the first since Oklahoma City's Rick Helling threw a perfect game against Nashville on August 13, 1996 in Oklahoma City.

Gissell (5-3) tossed 87 pitches, 61 for strikes, to pick up the victory in only his sixth start of the season. The right-hander walked one batter, hit two, and fanned six before turning the contest over to Sanchez, who threw two flawless innings that included three strikeouts to close out the historical game and pick up his second save.

The Sky Sox received two solid catches from their outfield to keep the no-hitter alive. Rightfielder Mark Sweeney made a sliding catch of a Tony Alvarez sinking line drive in the bottom of the fourth inning and centerfielder Luke Allen made a running catch to track down a J.J. Davis fly ball at the wall in deep center in the last of the seventh.

The no-no was the second to occur at Greer Stadium this season. Sounds right-hander John Wasdin threw the first perfect game in Nashville's 26-year history in the club's fourth game of the year on April 7 against Albuquerque.

Colorado Springs broke a scoreless tie with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning against Nashville starter Justin Reid. Allen led off the frame with a single through the right side before moving to third a batter later on Brent Butler's double into the left-field corner. Allen scored on a Kit Pellow RBI groundout before Butler was brought home by a Sweeney sacrifice fly to give the visitors a 2-0 lead. The Sky Sox added a run in the sixth against Reid when Butler was hit by a pitch and came plateward a batter later on Pellow's RBI double to deep center.

Reid (3-4) took the loss after allowing three runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings while making a spot start for the Sounds. New additions Frank Brooks and Jeff Bennett combined for 3 1/3 scoreless frames to finish the game.

The Sounds and Sky Sox continue their series with a 6 p.m. meeting on Sunday evening at Greer Stadium. Right-hander Ryan Vogelsong (10-7, 4.56) takes the hill for Nashville to face Colorado Springs right-hander Jason Young (6-5, 3.48).

Check out the Nashville Sounds Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Pacific Coast League Stories from August 2, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central