The Nashville Sounds (38-33) took game one of a doubleheader against the Norfolk Tides (47-24), smashing two homers in a 7-1 victory. The Tides took control early and forced the doubleheader split with a 3-0 win in game two at First Horizon Park on Thursday night.
Keston Hiura started off the pair of contests with a bang, sending a two-run shot to left in the first inning. The Sounds continued to pile on with Brice Turang’s RBI double in the third and Mike Brosseau’s two-run blast in the fourth. Abraham Toro got in on the RBI party with a single that plated Turang in the fifth, then Brice added his second RBI with a groundout in the sixth.
Thomas Pannone (3-1) nearly tossed the Sounds’ second complete seven-inning game of the season with an absolute gem. The lefty struck out 10 hitters in 6.2 innings, giving up just one run on five hits and two walks. Alex Claudio followed Pannone to get the final out and give Nashville the win.
Game two seemed to be the polar opposite of the first for Nashville. It was the Tides’ turn to score in the first inning, with the visitors plating a pair off Sounds starter Ethan Small (1-3). Cesar Prieto would hit a home run in the third inning for the final run of the contest. Nashville’s only three hits in game two came with Brian Navarreto’s single in the second, Turang’s two-out double in the third and Tyler Naquin’s knock in the seventh.
A quartet of bullpen arms worked game two for Nashville, with Small, J.C. Mejía, Abner Uribe and Darrell Thompson getting work. Uribe struck out three Tides in a scoreless fifth before Thompson worked back-to-back quiet innings with four strikeouts, allowing a hit.
Skye Bolt led the way offensively in the twin bill with three hits, all of them coming in game one. Bolt also added two runs to his three singles. Turang logged hits in both contests, combining to go 2-for-6 with a run, double, two RBI and walk.
Janson Junk (3-4, 4.23) will start game four of the six-game series for the Sounds. The Tides will send right-hander Chris Vallimont (2-4, 4.70) to the mound. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. central tomorrow from First Horizon Park.
Post-Game Notes
- Thomas Pannone became the first Sounds pitcher to strike out 10 in 2023. The last Sound to have 10 strikeouts in a game was Ethan Small on June 25, 2022 vs. Gwinnett.
- Brice Turang has hit safely in nine consecutive contests with Nashville dating back to June 13. He’s batting .265 (9-for-34) with 13 RBI during the streak. That is the second-most in the International League over the span.
- Keston Hiura hit his first homer since returning from the injured list yesterday. In 34 games with Nashville, Hiura is batting .320 (40-for-125) with 13 home runs and 35 RBI.
The Nashville Sounds are the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and play at First Horizon Park. Season ticket memberships for the 2023 season are on sale now. For more information call 615-690-4487 or e-mail tickets@nashvillesounds.com.
