PCL1 New Orleans Baby Cakes

Zephyrs Overcome Chapman's Three Homers to Edge Sounds, 6-5

Published on September 3, 2016 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
New Orleans Baby Cakes News Release


The New Orleans Zephyrs overcame three home runs by Nashville slugger Matt Chapman as the Z's edged the Sounds, 6-5 on Saturday night.

Rated as the fourth-best prospect in the Oakland A's system by MLB.com, Chapman launched a two-run homer over the center field fence in the first inning. He followed with a towering drive deep over the left field wall in the third, then led off the fifth with a home run to right-center.

Chapman has 36 home runs on the year between Nashville and Double-A Midland, and became the seventh player in Sounds history to go deep three times in a game.

The Zephyrs rallied from the 2-0 deficit after Chapman's first homer to score three times in the bottom of the first. Matt Juengel's slow roller to third drove in a run, and Chapman's throw to first was wide of the bag, allowing a second run to score on the play. Austin Nola then doubled to the left-center field gap to score Juengel.

New Orleans again answered a Chapman home run to jump back in front in the third. Cole Figueroa led off with a double, the second of his three hits on the night, and Juengel went deep one out later to give the Z's a 5-3 lead.

Stephen McGee, making his Z's debut behind the plate, drilled a home run in the fourth to briefly stretch the Zephyrs' lead to three runs.

Trailing 6-4 in the seventh, Nashville put the two first runners on base, including a single by Chapman, before Tyler Kinley struck out the side to end the threat.

Franklin Barreto delivered a two-out RBI single off Jo-Jo Reyes in the eighth inning to draw the Sounds within a run, but Drew Steckenrider slammed the door in the ninth to pick up his seventh save in as many opportunities.

Asher Wojciechowski (4-5) scattered eight hits and four runs across five innings to get the win. He struck out six and walked two, and combined with three relievers to record 12 strikeouts and limit Nashville to one hit in 10 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Angel Castro (2-8) was handed the loss after yielding six runs and eight hits in four innings, only the third loss in the last 14 contests for the division champion Sounds.

The teams resume the final series of the season on Sunday at 6 p.m. with postgame fireworks.

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Pacific Coast League Stories from September 3, 2016


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