Nashville Sounds Close Homestand With 7-4 Win Over Round Rock Express
Monday, July 7, 2008 at 08:22AM MLN - THE RAW FEED - www.mlntherawfeed.com -
MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com - NASHVILLE , Tenn. – The Nashville Sounds snapped a four-game skid by posting a 7-4 victory over the Round Rock Express on Sunday evening at Greer Stadium in the finale of a three-game series.
With the victory, Nashville (35-55) brought an end to Round Rock’s season-best eight-game winning streak.
Sounds first baseman Brad Nelson paced the offensive attack and drove in three runs to up his team-leading RBI total to 52 on the year with a 3-for-4 night that included a pair of doubles.
The Sounds took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning against Round Rock starter Ron Chiavacci. Nelson led off with a double into the right field corner and moved to third on Vinny Rottino’s single before scoring the evening’s first run on Brendan Katin’s RBI single to left. Nashville added its second run when Rottino scored from third on a throwing error by Express second baseman Edwin Maysonet on Adam Heether’s fielder’s choice groundout.
Nashville made it a 3-0 contest in the third when Hernan Iribarren led off with a single, moved to third on a Tony Gwynn single, and scored on a Nelson groundout.
Round Rock rallied to tie the contest in the top of the fourth against Sounds starter Sam Narron. Former Sound J.R. House drew an inning-opening walk and moved to second on a Mark Saccomanno single before scoring on a Ray Sadler RBI double to the right-center wall. Tommy Manzella pulled the visitors within a run with a single before Sadler came plateward to knot the score at 3-3 on a Yordany Ramirez groundout.
The Sounds regained the lead with an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Gwynn reached first when Chiavacci failed to handle a flip from first baseman Saccomanno. After stealing second, Gwynn scored on Nelson’s RBI single to center.
Saccomanno quickly re-tied the game at 4-4 in the next half-inning when he led off the sixth with a solo home run to left-center off Narron, his 20th roundtripper of the season.
Nelson continued his big night in the seventh when he gave Nashville a 5-4 lead with a two-out RBI double to right, his second two-bagger of the night and team-leading 22nd of the year. Iribarren, who reached on a fielding error by Manzella at shortstop, scored unearned on the knock.
Sounds reliever Tim Dillard worked into and out of a bases-loaded jam to keep the one-run lead intact in the top of the eighth. With one out, Sadler reached when his swinging third strike went to the backstop for a wild pitch and Gorneault and Manzella followed with singled to fill the bags. Dillard induced an inning-ending 1-2-3 double play groundout from Ramirez to preserve the Nashville advantage.
Nashville added a pair of insurance runs against Fernando Nieve in the home half of the eighth. Heether drew a one-out walk and moved to third on a Carlos Corporan double before pinch-hitter Ozzie Chavez ripped a one-out RBI single to right. Iribarren followed with an RBI knock to center to make it a 7-4 contest.
Derrick Turnbow (2-2) picked up the win in relief for the Sounds after working one scoreless inning, allowing one hit and one walk and striking out a pair of batters.
Luis Pena notched his 13th save of the year by working a scoreless ninth.
Nieve (1-4) took the loss for the Express after allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits in 1 1/3 innings of work.
Narron took a no-decision for Nashville after allowing four runs on five hits over six innings of work.
Corporan recorded his first career Triple-A hits in the contest, legging out a fourth-inning triple before adding a double in the eighth.
The Sounds travel to Omaha, Nebraska on Monday for a four-day, five-game series that includes a Tuesday doubleheader. Right-hander Mark DiFelice (3-0, 3.54) will toe the rubber for Nashville in Monday’s 7:05 p.m. CT series opener. Omaha will counter with right-hander Roman Colon (2-2, 4.60).
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