Two Early Grand Slams by Charlotte Costs Sounds
IL Nashville Sounds

Two Early Grand Slams by Charlotte Costs Sounds

Published on April 22, 2026 under International League (IL)
Nashville Sounds News Release


Charlotte, NC - The Nashville Sounds fell to the Charlotte Knights, 9-4, at Truist Field, as two early grand slams powered the Knights to victory. Four Sounds recorded multi-hit games, while Tyler Black extended his hitting streak to nine games in the loss.

With the second game of the series underway, major league rehabber Quinn Priester ran into trouble immediately in the opening frame. He walked three of six batters and hit Oliver Dunn, allowing a run to score on a walk. Priester was replaced by Peter Strzelecki with two outs in the opening frame, but LaMonte Wade Jr. crushed a grand slam to right field to extend the Knights' lead to 5-0.

The Sounds responded in the top of the second inning as Brock Wilken drew a leadoff walk. After two consecutive strikeouts, Eddys Leonard and Freddy Zamora also walked to load the bases. Jacob Hurtubise then hit an infield single to third, scoring Wilken and cutting the deficit to 5-1. However, Charlotte answered again in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases with three straight singles before hitting their second grand slam of the night to push the lead to 9-1.

Thomas Pannone entered for Strzelecki and recorded two scoreless innings on one hit, including a 1-2-3 third inning. The Sounds added two runs in the top of the fifth, beginning with a one-out single from Black to extend his hitting streak to nine consecutive games. After Wilken reached on a fielding error and Luis Lara struck out swinging, Jeferson Quero and Leonard delivered back-to-back RBI singles to score Black and Wilken, making it 9-3.

Pannone, rehabber Craig Yoho, and newly acquired Junior Fernández combined for six scoreless innings. Pannone tossed 3.2 strong innings with three strikeouts; Yoho added 1.1 scoreless innings with one hit and a strikeout, and Fernández worked a perfect eighth inning with two strikeouts. The Sounds added one more run as Hurtubise recorded his second RBI of the game with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth, but were unable to complete the comeback, and the game ended 9-4 following a strikeout, groundout, and lineout in the ninth inning.

The seven-game series continues Thursday night, with first pitch scheduled for 6:04 p.m. CT.

POSTGAME NOTES:

9 ON BLACK: Outfielder Tyler Black extended his hit streak to nine consecutive games, tying his season-long from last year from July 9-30 (.316 BAA, 12-for-38, 4 XBH, 8 RBI, 4 R), while his longest hitting streak at the Triple-A level still remains at 16 straight games with Nashville from September 7, 2023 - March 30, 2024. Black finished his night going 2-for-5 with a rune against the Knights which marked his second multi-hit of the season as well, Black added 17 multi-hit games to his line during the 2025 year, including five 3-hit games.

HURTS-TO-BE-2: Outfielder Jacob Hurtubise earned his first multi-hit and second multi-RBI with Nashville as he went 2-for-3 with two RBI against Charlotte Wednesday night. Hurtubise posted only five multi-hit games last season, including a 3-hit night against Triple-A Iowa, while he was on Triple-A Louisville early in the year. The 28-year-old has recorded 82 career multi-hit games in his six-year campaign, including 13 three-hit games while his career-high was up to four hits, going 4-for-5 on September 1, 2024, against Indianapolis when he was on Louisville.

SLAM SESSION: Peter Strzelecki allowed two grand slams in Wednesday night's 9-4 loss to the Knights with both slams coming in the first and second inning of the game. The first one came in the first inning when rehabber Quinn Priester issued three walks and a hit by pitch which allowed a run but still kept the loaded the bases for Lamonte Wade Jr. to club a grand slam out of the park. The second one came when Peter Strzelecki allowed three consecutive singles to load the bases once again, then Jarred Kelenic crushed the second slam for the Knights to right field that blew the game out of proportion for the Sounds. Those were the first two grand slams allowed by Strzelecki in his nine-year career, while the Sounds as a club have allowed five grand slams to the Knights since 2004, including two in Wednesday night's loss. The Sounds allowed three grand slams with the last one coming against the Knights as well, when David Fletcher clubbed one off of Garrett Stallings on August 26, 2025.

UNEXPECTED REHAB: Major League Rehabber Quinn Priester made his first start of the season in Wednesday night's loss to the Knights but immediately got into trouble, loading the bases on walks and allowing four runs on just 29 pitches before Strzelecki came in for relief. The last time Priester allowed at least four runs in a game was last season on August 10 against the New York Mets when he was in Milwaukee and allowed six runs on 10 hits, including two homers in the process.

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International League Stories from April 22, 2026


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