PCL1 Nashville Sounds

Sounds Take Third Straight From Salt Lake, 5-1

Published on May 4, 2008 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release


NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Sounds starter Mark DiFelice shut down the league-leading Salt Lake offense to give Nashville its third consecutive win, a 5-1 victory over the visiting Bees on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at Greer Stadium in front of 7,946 fans on Teacher Appreciation Day.

DiFelice (3-0) - who earned his third win in as many starts this season - lowered his ERA to 2.65 on the year by allowing one run on four hits while fanning nine over five innings of work. He has struck out 25 batters in only 17 innings and has yet to give up a walk.

The Nashville bats stayed hot and posted a crooked number on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth inning, plating three runs on a bases loaded-double from third baseman Adam Heether (2-for-3, 3 RBIs). He is in his hottest hitting stretch of the year, batting .375 (12-for-30) while hitting safely in nine of his last 10 games. Laynce Nix and Brad Nelson singled and Vinny Rottino walked before all three came around to score on the bases-clearing double off Salt Lake starter Kasey Olenberger.

The Sounds' three-run inning came after Russell Branyan crushed a fastball from Olenberger (1-2) well beyond the right field wall in the bottom of the second inning to start the scoring. The homer was Branyan's second in the last two games and sixth on the year, tying him for the team lead with Nelson.

DiFelice was lights out until Bees outfielder Dee Brown continued his 11-game hit streak with a home run to right-center in the top of the fifth inning. With his three hits on the day, Brown has now reached base in 16 consecutive road games. Prior to that roundtripper, DiFelice had struck out seven of the first 11 batters he faced and only gave up one hit, a single to Brown in the second inning.

The Bees threatened to add to the tally with a single from Bobby Wilson and a double to left-center from Gary Patchett, but Nix cut Patchett's line drive off in the gap and made a strong relay throw to hold Wilson at third. DiFelice then pitched himself out of the jam by striking out Brad Coon, who went 0-for-4. Coon snapped his 26-game on-base streak, the longest on-base streak in the Pacific Coast League to start the season.

Heether scored the Sounds' final run when he knocked another double to start off the bottom of the seventh inning and moved to third when Ozzie Chavez followed with a single. Hernan Iribarren then scored him on a groundout to second in the next at-bat.

Nashville relievers Steve Bray, Erasmo Ramirez, and Tim Dillard combined to pitch four innings of scoreless relief, lowering the Sounds bullpen ERA to 0.38 over the last seven games.

The teams will finish out their four-game series bright and early tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. at Greer Stadium. Southpaw Lindsay Gulin (0-2, 3.77) will man the bump for the Sounds and go against right-hander Giancarlo Alvarado (2-0, 2.60) for the Bees.

A capacity crowd is expected at Greer Stadium tomorrow with the Sounds hosting a Reading Club Day where area students who participate in the reading club get to attend the game as a reward for reaching their reading goals.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 4, 2008


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