Monday
12May
Nashville Sounds Win Thirteen Inning Marathon Over Vegas 51s - PCL
Monday, May 12, 2008 at 02:21PM
MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com - LAS VEGAS – The Nashville Sounds scored a pair of runs in the top of the 13th inning to score a dramatic 7-5 victory over the Las Vegas 51s on Sunday afternoon at Cashman Field in the club’s longest game of the season.
Stocker led off the thirteenth with a single against 51s reliever Mike Koplove, who had allowed only two runs in 20 1/3 innings on the year before Sunday’s game. After Stocker was sacrificed to second by Tim Dillard, Steve Sollmann drew a walk then Stocker stole third base, his fifth swipe of the year.
Laynce Nix followed with a fielder’s choice RBI groundout that plated Stocker with the go-ahead run. Brad Nelson provided the Sounds with some breathing room when he stepped into the box and delivered an RBI double to center that brought home Nix from first. It was the first baseman's second big hit of the day after tying the contest with a ninth-inning triple.
Nashville (14-22) rallied from a five-run deficit in the game, including scoring a pair of runs in the top of the ninth inning to send the contest to extra frames.
The win was the Sounds’ first in their last 77 games in which they trailed entering the ninth inning, dating back to a win on July 25, 2006 against Colorado Springs.
Sounds relievers were outstanding in the game as four hurlers combined for 8 1/3 scoreless innings behind starter Jeff Weaver, including a solid 3 1/3 inning outing by lefty Zach Jackson.
Dillard (2-0) picked up the win following three scoreless frames and Erasmo Ramirez retired the 51s in order in the bottom of the 13th to notch his first save in his first opportunity of the year.
The 51s took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning without the benefit of a hit. Weaver walked the first three batters of the frame to load the bases. The veteran limited the damage sustained, however, allowing only a John-Ford Griffin sacrifice fly before striking out catcher Kelly Gulledge and pitcher Jason Johnson to escape the jam with only one run crossing home.
Las Vegas increased its advantage to 5-0 in the fifth with four two-out runs off Weaver. After Johnson and Luis Maza each singled, Terry Tiffee drove in both runners with his 20th double of the season, which extended his hitting streak to 18 games. 51s third baseman Andy LaRoche followed by chasing Weaver with his second home run in two games against Sounds pitching, a two-run shot to left that was his fourth roundtripper of the year.
Russell Branyan put the Sounds on the board in the top of the sixth inning with a two-run homer to right off Johnson, the veteran’s team-leading eighth longball of the year. Nix, who drew an inning-opening walk, scored on the blast, which chased Johnson from the contest.
Brendan Katin pulled the visitors within 5-3 later in the inning when he slugged a two-out solo homer to left-center off 51s reliever Dwayne Pollok, the outfielder’s sixth tater of the season.
The Sounds rallied to tie the score in the top of the ninth with a pair of two-out runs against Las Vegas closer Brian Falkenborg, who suffered his third blown save of the year.
Pinch-hitter Abraham Nunez led off with a single and advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches before scoring on a Sollmann sacrifice fly. Nix followed with a single to right to extend his hitting streak to a season-best six games, then moved into scoring position on Falkenborg’s third wild pitch of the inning. Nelson made it a 5-5 game when he ripped a 3-1 offering to center for an RBI triple, his first three-bagger of the year.
Sounds reliever Luis Pena worked into and out of trouble in the bottom of the frame to push the contest to extras. After walking Gulledge to open the inning, catcher Eric Munson committed a pair of passed balls to move the potential winning run to third with two down before Pena fanned Xavier Paul for the final out.
Nashville missed a chance to take its first lead of the afternoon in the tenth when they placed runners on second and third with two outs via Adam Heether and Hernan Iribarren walks and stolen bases before 51s reliever Greg Jones induced an inning-ending grounder from Sollmann.
Dillard kept the Sounds in it in the bottom of the tenth, working out of a one-out bases loaded jam unscathed. After Tiffee led off with his second double of the contest, intentional walks to LaRoche and Jason Repko sandwiched around a sacrifice bunt filled the bags. Dillard induced a shallow flyout to center from Griffin before punching out Gulledge on a 2-2 offering to escape the jam.
Weaver took a no-decision in his third start for Nashville after surrendering five runs on four hits while walking four and striking out six batters in 4 2/3 innings of action. He left on the short end of a 5-0 deficit before the Sounds rallied to tie the contest in the ninth.
Stocker led off the thirteenth with a single against 51s reliever Mike Koplove, who had allowed only two runs in 20 1/3 innings on the year before Sunday’s game. After Stocker was sacrificed to second by Tim Dillard, Steve Sollmann drew a walk then Stocker stole third base, his fifth swipe of the year.
Laynce Nix followed with a fielder’s choice RBI groundout that plated Stocker with the go-ahead run. Brad Nelson provided the Sounds with some breathing room when he stepped into the box and delivered an RBI double to center that brought home Nix from first. It was the first baseman's second big hit of the day after tying the contest with a ninth-inning triple. Nashville (14-22) rallied from a five-run deficit in the game, including scoring a pair of runs in the top of the ninth inning to send the contest to extra frames.
The win was the Sounds’ first in their last 77 games in which they trailed entering the ninth inning, dating back to a win on July 25, 2006 against Colorado Springs.
Sounds relievers were outstanding in the game as four hurlers combined for 8 1/3 scoreless innings behind starter Jeff Weaver, including a solid 3 1/3 inning outing by lefty Zach Jackson.
Dillard (2-0) picked up the win following three scoreless frames and Erasmo Ramirez retired the 51s in order in the bottom of the 13th to notch his first save in his first opportunity of the year.
The 51s took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning without the benefit of a hit. Weaver walked the first three batters of the frame to load the bases. The veteran limited the damage sustained, however, allowing only a John-Ford Griffin sacrifice fly before striking out catcher Kelly Gulledge and pitcher Jason Johnson to escape the jam with only one run crossing home.
Las Vegas increased its advantage to 5-0 in the fifth with four two-out runs off Weaver. After Johnson and Luis Maza each singled, Terry Tiffee drove in both runners with his 20th double of the season, which extended his hitting streak to 18 games. 51s third baseman Andy LaRoche followed by chasing Weaver with his second home run in two games against Sounds pitching, a two-run shot to left that was his fourth roundtripper of the year.
Russell Branyan put the Sounds on the board in the top of the sixth inning with a two-run homer to right off Johnson, the veteran’s team-leading eighth longball of the year. Nix, who drew an inning-opening walk, scored on the blast, which chased Johnson from the contest.
Brendan Katin pulled the visitors within 5-3 later in the inning when he slugged a two-out solo homer to left-center off 51s reliever Dwayne Pollok, the outfielder’s sixth tater of the season.
The Sounds rallied to tie the score in the top of the ninth with a pair of two-out runs against Las Vegas closer Brian Falkenborg, who suffered his third blown save of the year.
Pinch-hitter Abraham Nunez led off with a single and advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches before scoring on a Sollmann sacrifice fly. Nix followed with a single to right to extend his hitting streak to a season-best six games, then moved into scoring position on Falkenborg’s third wild pitch of the inning. Nelson made it a 5-5 game when he ripped a 3-1 offering to center for an RBI triple, his first three-bagger of the year.
Sounds reliever Luis Pena worked into and out of trouble in the bottom of the frame to push the contest to extras. After walking Gulledge to open the inning, catcher Eric Munson committed a pair of passed balls to move the potential winning run to third with two down before Pena fanned Xavier Paul for the final out.
Nashville missed a chance to take its first lead of the afternoon in the tenth when they placed runners on second and third with two outs via Adam Heether and Hernan Iribarren walks and stolen bases before 51s reliever Greg Jones induced an inning-ending grounder from Sollmann.
Dillard kept the Sounds in it in the bottom of the tenth, working out of a one-out bases loaded jam unscathed. After Tiffee led off with his second double of the contest, intentional walks to LaRoche and Jason Repko sandwiched around a sacrifice bunt filled the bags. Dillard induced a shallow flyout to center from Griffin before punching out Gulledge on a 2-2 offering to escape the jam.
Weaver took a no-decision in his third start for Nashville after surrendering five runs on four hits while walking four and striking out six batters in 4 2/3 innings of action. He left on the short end of a 5-0 deficit before the Sounds rallied to tie the contest in the ninth.
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