Back-and-forth game gets out of hand late as Nashville falls 7-4

The weekend woes continued for the Nashville Sounds (68-56, 28-22) on Sunday afternoon as a tightly contested game got away from them late in a 7-4 defeat to the Gwinnett Stripers (57-67, 24-25) at Coolray Field.

Patience was key for Nashville’s offense early as they built a slight advantage. They started the third inning with four consecutive walks against Justus Sheffield, with Tyler Black earning an RBI for his bases-loaded walk after he successfully challenged a strike three call earlier in the plate appearance. Cam Devanney scored on a groundout to push the Sounds’ early lead to 2-0.

Considering how Sounds’ starter Janson Junk handled the first two innings, the lead seemed like it would hold. But Gwinnett responded by rallying with two outs in the third, tying the game with two unearned runs then seizing the lead with a run in the fourth.

Keston Hiura returned Nashville to the lead in the fifth, grounding a bases-loaded two-run single into left field. Gwinnett continued the seesaw battle, plating a run in the sixth against Caleb Boushley (8-7) to tie the game, then taking the lead for good on Drew Lugbauer’s sacrifice fly in the seventh. The Stripers put it out of reach with a pair of runs in the eighth as rain began to fall at Coolray Field.

Devanney and Jahmai Jones set the table for Nashville’s early offensive successes. The pair each scored two runs after reaching to start the third and fifth innings. Abraham Toro had the Sounds’ sole multi-hit game.

The Sounds continue their two-week road trip on Tuesday when they kick off a six-game series against the Durham Bulls. Nashville right-hander Evan McKendry (10-4, 3.95) will get another start against his former team, while Durham counters with southpaw Jacob Lopez (3-4, 2.72). First pitch is scheduled for 5:35 p.m. CDT at Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Post-Game Notes

  • The Sounds have faltered on the weekends this season. The club is 52-29 (.642) on weekdays and 16-27 (.372) on Saturdays and Sundays.
  • Rehabbing Milwaukee Brewer Jesse Winker was back in the lineup today, drawing three walks on a 0-for-2 day. That is a season high for the outfielder and matches a career high he has set 17 times. Winker has a .455 OBP in five games on his current rehab assignment with Nashville.
  • Keston Hiura extended his hitting streak to 12 games and his on-base streak to 22 games with his two-run single in the fifth. He is batting .341 (30-for-88) over the on-base streak with four doubles, seven homers, 26 RBI and a 1.017 OPS.
  • Tyler Black continues to find his way on base, reaching in each of his 18 contests with Nashville. He is batting .254 (17-for-67) with seven extra-base hits, 16 runs and more walks than strikeouts (14/10).
  • Caleb Boushley made his first appearance out of the bullpen in his Nashville career. His previous bullpen appearance came on July 27, 2021 with Triple-A El Paso vs. Albuquerque.

The Nashville Sounds are the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and play at First Horizon Park. Single-game tickets for the rest of the 2023 season are on sale now. For more information call 615-690-4487 or e-mail tickets@nashvillesounds.com.