PCL1 Nashville Sounds

Sounds Split Twinbill With Isotopes

July 15, 2005 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release


NASHVILLE - The Nashville Sounds split a doubleheader with the visiting Albuquerque Isotopes on Friday evening at Greer Stadium, taking the opener by a 6-1 score before falling 2-1 in the nightcap in front of 9,858 fans.

Nashville (52-41) maintains its four-game lead over Memphis in the PCL American Conference Northern Division and draws its third split in four doubleheaders this season.

Outfielder Nelson Cruz hit safely in both contests to extend his hitting streak to 11 games, each of his tilts played in a Nashville uniform. All-Star Corey Hart also hit safely in both ends of the twinbill and has hit safely in five straight and in 19 of his last 20 games.

Nashville shortstop Steve Scarborough put the home team on the board in the opener, slapping a two-out RBI single through the right side of the infield in the bottom of the fourth inning to plate Cruz, who singled earlier in the frame. Albuquerque tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the third on a Todd Sears sacrifice fly.

Prince Fielder ripped a one-out two-run single in the bottom of the fifth to give the Sounds a 3-1 lead. The hit, which came against Isotopes reliever Chad Bentz, brought home Ryan Knox and Dave Krynzel.

All-Star outfielder Corey Hart gave Nashville some breathing room in the sixth with a two-out, two-run single off Albuquerque reliever Clint Sodowsky that increased the lead to 5-1. Warren Morris scampered home with the final run of the night on a subsequent Sodowsky wild pitch.

Sounds starter Rick Helling (8-3) picked up his team-leading eighth victory after allowing one run on four hits while fanning seven over five innings. Frank Castillo (7-6), a former Sound, was dealt the loss after giving up three runs over his 4 1/3 frames of work.

Chris Barnwell broke a scoreless tie in the nightcap with an RBI double in the bottom of the fourth inning off Albuquerque starter Travis Smith. The two-bagger scored Tony Zuniga unearned after he had reached on a fielding error by Isotopes third baseman Jason Wood.

Albuquerque used the longball to grab a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth against Nashville starter Ben Hendrickson. Isotopes shortstop Josh Wilson tied the contest with a one-out solo homer to left-center, his eighth tater of the year. Wood, who played for the Sounds in 2000 & 2001, blasted his 11th roundtripper of the season two batters later to the same spot in left-center, giving the visitors a 2-1 lead.

The Sounds put the potential tying run on second with one out in the ninth following a one-out Barnwell double but the Albuquerque bullpen retired Scarborough and Fielder in order to preserve the win.

Smith (3-4) allowed one unearned run over six innings of work to record the victory, while Hendrickson (4-7) took the loss after allowing two runs in his six frames. The Sounds right-hander struck out a season-high 10 batters, the most by a Nashville pitcher this season and Hendrickson's first double-digit K total since May 3, 2002. Jim Crowell induced a game-ending groundout from Fielder, the lone batter he faced, to record his team-leading eighth save.

The teams continue the series with a 6 p.m. meeting on Saturday evening at Greer Stadium. Right-hander Justin Lehr (7-7, 4.06) will make the start for Nashville and face Isotopes southpaw Donovan Osborne (1-0, 6.19).

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Pacific Coast League Stories from July 15, 2005


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