PCL1 Nashville Sounds

VanBenschoten Notches First Win As Sounds Open Homestand With 2-1 Victory Over Sky Sox

Published on May 28, 2004 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Nashville Sounds News Release


NASHVILLE -- Right-hander John VanBenschoten, the Pittsburgh Pirates' top prospect, recorded his first career Triple-A victory and outfielder Tony Alvarez posted his second consecutive four-hit effort as the Nashville Sounds defeated the Colorado Springs Sky Sox by a 2-1 count in the opener of a four-game series in front of 6,982 fans on Friday evening at Greer Stadium.

The win was the third in a row for Nashville (24-23).

VanBenschoten (1-6) pitched beautifully, allowing only one run on four hits on the evening and striking out five in his 6 2/3 innings. His first Nashville win came in his tenth start of the season.

On a night that runs were at a premium, the first did not come until the bottom of the fifth inning when the Sounds plated a pair against Colorado Springs starting pitcher Travis Driskill. Nashville shortstop Shaun Skrehot singled to start things of in the frame, stole second to put himself into scoring position, then was sacrificed to third by VanBenschoten. Rich Thompson promptly tripled to deep center to score Skrehot and give the home club an early 1-0 lead.

Tony Alvarez, who went 4-for-4 at the plate to muster his second straight four-hit game, immediately followed with an RBI single to score Thompson to garner the Sounds a 2-0 lead and give them all the run support that they needed to defeat the Sky Sox.

The Sky Sox plated their only run in the top of the seventh inning when Anthony Sanders singled to right field to score Choo Freeman and make the score 2-1. Freeman, 3-for-4 at the plate in the Sky Sox loss, barely scored the run as Sounds rightfielder Andy Abad almost threw him out. Freeman had to bowl over Sounds catcher Keith McDonald to score the run.

Things got interesting in the top of the ninth when Colorado Spring's Jorge Piedra hit a well-struck ball off Nashville closer Mark Corey to deep right that was actually over the fence, but Luke Allen, who replaced Abad as the Nashville rightfielder in the eighth, made a leaping catch to thwart the Sky Sox's chances of tying the game.

Corey went on to strike out pinch-hitter Garrett Atkins looking later in the frame to lock up his league-leading 12th save of the year. Driskill (3-4) took the loss for Colorado Springs.

The teams return to action at 6 p.m. on Saturday evening in the second game of a slated four-game set. Nelson Figueroa (4-4, 5.08) will take the mound for the Sounds and will square off against right-hander Kip Bouknight (0-2, 5.85).

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 28, 2004


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