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Nashville Sounds

Sounds Suffer Walkoff Loss in Series Finale at Colorado Springs

August 7, 2011 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Colorado Springs scored four runs in the final two frames, including two in the bottom of the ninth, to hang a walkoff 4-3 loss on the Nashville Sounds on Saturday evening at Security Service Field in the finale of a four-game series.

With the win, the Sky Sox salvaged a split of the four-game set. It marked the Sounds' 11th walkoff loss among their 34 road defeats.

After the Sounds had two runners thrown out at the plate in the top of the ninth as they attempted to extend a 3-2 lead, Colorado Springs touched Nashville closer Mike McClendon for a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame to hang a tough loss on the visitors.

McClendon was greeted by a Mike Paulk liner that glanced off the glove of left fielder Jordan Brown for a leadoff double, placing the potential tying run in scoring position.

Scott Beerer followed with a sacrifice bunt to third that was bobbled by Taylor Green, putting runners on the corners with no outs. Matt Pagnozzi ripped a game-tying single to left to bring home Paulk to even the score at 3-3.

Pinch-hitter Jordan Pacheco attempted to bunt the runners up a base, but Green threw out Beerer at third on the play for the first out of the inning. After McClendon struck out Ryan Rohlinger for the second out, Matt Macri lined a game-ending RBI single to left to plate Pagnozzie with the winning run.

The late heroics made a winner out of Jim Miller (6-5), who worked the top of the ninth for the Sky Sox in scoreless fashion. McClendon (3-3) took the loss after suffering his third blown save of the year for the Sounds.

Sounds starting pitcher Amaury Rivas drove in the first run of the night with a two-out, bases-loaded squeeze bunt up the first-base line, plating Mat Gamel.

Nashville increased its lead to 3-0 in the sixth with a pair of two-out RBI singles off Sky Sox starter Edgar Gonzalez. Gamel reached on a one-out fielding error by Macri at second base and Edwin Maysonet walked, his third free pass of the night, before catcher Martin Maldonado and pinch-hitter Erick Almonte delivered back-to-back run-scoring knocks to chase the Colorado Springs right-hander from the contest. Both runs came home in unearned fashion as a result of the error.

Rivas scattered three hits over five scoreless innings for the Sounds, walking one batter and striking out four in his 74-pitch effort, but was left with a no-decision for his efforts following the late collapse by the Nashville bullpen.

Daniel Meadows followed Rivas with two scoreless frames of relief before Randy Flores took over in the eighth and surrendered the first Colorado Springs scoring of the night.

In the bottom of the eighth, Rohlinger drew a one-out walk then trotted home on Mike Jacobs' two-out, two-run homer to right-center. The slugger's 23rd roundtripper of the year, which came on a 3-2 offering from the left-hander, pulled the Sky Sox within a run at 3-2 and chased Flores from the contest.

Later in the frame, Colorado Springs continued the rally against new Sounds reliever Donovan Hand, putting runners on first and second by virtue of a walk and a single before Maldonado picked Joe Mather off second to bring an end to the inning with Nashville's one-run lead intact.

Nashville attempted to score an insurance run in the top of the ninth inning but came up empty as Colorado Springs threw out two runners at the plate in the inning to keep it a one-run contest.

After Taylor Green tripled with one out and Gamel was issued an intentional walk to put runner on the corners, Maysonet dropped a drag bunt up the first-base line and Jacobs threw home to nail Green, who overslid the plate and was tagged out. Caleb Gindl followed with a single to center, but Gamel was gunned down at the dish by Mather as he attempted to score on the play.

The Sounds travel to Reno tomorrow to wrap up their road trip with a four-game series against the Aces (AAA-Diamondbacks). Right-hander Frankie De La Cruz (6-6, 3.73) will man the bump for Nashville in Sunday's 8:05 p.m. CT series opener to face Reno left-hander Wade Miley (3-0, 3.66).

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