PCL1 Nashville Sounds

Sounds On Cusp Of Playoffs With 5-1 Win

August 24, 2003 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release


NASHVILLE — After an eight-year playoff drought, the Sounds appear bound for the postseason following their third straight victory, a 5-1 triumph over the New Orleans Zephyrs on Sunday evening at Greer Stadium in the opener of a five-game series. Nashville's win, combined with Oklahoma's 8-7 loss in Memphis, lowers its magic number to clinch the PCL East Division to one.

The Sounds jumped ahead in the last of the third inning when Dave Doster provided a clutch two-out, two-run scoring single over the outstretched glove of Zephyrs second baseman David Matranga. Brad King, who reached on an error, and Tony Alvarez, who was hit by a Bob Scanlan offering, crossed the plate on the play.

After New Orleans cut the lead in half in the top of the fourth, Nashville enhanced its advantage to three one inning later. Jorge Toca started the rally with a broken-bat single to right. Aaron Holbert singled, one of his four hits on the evening, to move Toca to third. King singled home Toca, and Holbert later scampered in on a wild pitch.

Holbert's 4-for-4 evening raised the shortstop's team-leading average against New Orleans to a robust .441 clip (15-for-34) this season.

Nashville would score the final run of the game in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Alvarez reached on an infield single to extend his hitting streak to six games, currently the longest on the club. He stole second, his second swipe of the game and 21st on the year. After advancing to third on a Bobby Hill groundout, Alvarez scored on a passed ball.

New Orleans looked to make it interesting in their last at-bat, putting two runners on with one out, but Jim Mann shut the door to get his third save, protecting the victory for the rehabbing Salomon Torres (1-0). Torres went five innings, allowing just the one run while fanning four in his stint. He threw 67 pitches, 42 for strikes.

The first Sounds hurler to get a chance at securing the division title will be righty Jeff Bennett (1-1, 2.93), who takes the hill for the teams' 7 p.m. meeting on Monday at Greer. New Orleans will counter with southpaw Randy Keisler (1-3, 5.45).

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