PCL1 Nashville Sounds

Sounds Open Road Trip With 4-3 Loss

Published on August 1, 2007 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release


PORTLAND, Ore. - The Portland Beavers scored an unearned run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the Nashville Sounds, 4-3, on Wednesday evening at PGE Park in the opener of a four-game series.

With Sounds closer Luther Hackman on the hill, a miscommunication between shortstop Chris Barnwell and leftfielder Brad Nelson allowed a pop-up off the bat of Peter Ciofrone to drop in cleanly to open the bottom of the ninth. Ciofrone reached second on the play, charged as an error to Barnwell. Two outs later, Craig Stansberry ripped a 1-0 Hackman offering to left for a game-ending RBI single.

With the loss, Nashville (67-44) dropped to just 11-18 in series openers this season but maintained its season-best 7 ½ game lead over Iowa in the PCL American Conference Northern Division.

The Sounds continued their season-long tradition of fast starts by taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning against Beavers starter Mike Thompson. Callix Crabbe opened the contest with a single to right, moves to third on a Gabe Gross single, and scored on Vinny Rottino's RBI knock to right.

Portland tied the game at 1-1 with unearned run in the bottom of the frame stemming from a Gross misplay in right field. Yordany Ramirez led off by reaching second on Gross' error and later scored on one-out Brian Myrow RBI single to right.

Laynce Nix powered Nashville back in front when he led off the second inning with a solo homer to center off Thompson, the outfielder's 15th longball of the season.

Sounds first baseman Andy Abad got into the power act in the fourth, leading off the frame with a solo shot to right-center off Thompson to increase the visitors' lead to 3-1. The roundtripper was the veteran's ninth of the year.

Steve Bray allowed one unearned run on two hits over a season-high four innings in his spot start for the Sounds, lowering his ERA to 1.72 on the year.

Tim Dillard followed with two scoreless relief innings for Nashville before Portland knotted the contest against Marino Salas in the seventh.

Beavers catcher Pete LaForest greeted the right-hander by drilling his first pitch over the center field wall for his team-leading 27th home run of the year, pulling Portland within 3-2. Former Sound Frank Menechino and Ciofrone followed with back-to-back doubles, the second of which tied the score at 3-3.

Later in the frame, Greg Aquino inherited a two-out, bases-loaded jam from Salas and caught Myrow looking to escape without further damage.

Portland reliever Scott Cassidy (2-2) picked up the victory after working one scoreless relief inning.

Hackman (1-1) took a hard-luck loss for his first defeat of the year after surrendering the game-winning run in unearned fashion in his two-thirds of an inning.

The teams continue their series with a 9:05 p.m. CT meeting on Thursday. Nashville native R.A. Dickey (8-5, 4.06) will toe the rubber for the Sounds to face Portland right-hander Robert Woodard, who will make his first PCL appearance of the year.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from August 1, 2007


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