Nashville, TN – The Nashville Sounds dropped their second straight with a 5-2 loss to the Norfolk Tides on Saturday night at First Horizon Park. Despite having a plethora of chances, the Sounds stranded 10 and failed to record a hit with runners in scoring position in the loss.
Luis Lara added another homer in what has been a breakout start for Milwaukee’s no. 11-ranked prospect, and Eddys Leonard collected half of Nashville’s hits with his second three-hit game of the season.
Following a scoreless top of the first spun by Garrett Stallings, Lara turned on down and in slider from the left-handed batter’s box and clanked his sixth home run of the season off the foul pole in right field to get Nashville on the scoreboard. It was the only run the Sounds would get over the next seven innings.
The Tides took a 2-1 lead off Stallings with a pair of hits including Willy Vasquez’s two-RBI single. They added to the lead when Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a solo shot off Reiss Knehr for the only run the right-hander has allowed through his first five games with Nashville. Junior Fernandez surrendered three straight one-out hits in the top of the sixth as Norfolk grew their lead to 4-1.
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Leonard added the only two other hits for Nashville following Lara’s first inning homer until the bottom of the sixth. Brock Wilken extended his on-base streak to 21 games with a single off Andrew Magno and Jett Williams followed with a single of his own, but an inning-ending double play held Nashville’s offense quiet for the fifth straight inning.
Fernandez worked the first 1-2-3 inning on the mound for the Sounds since the top of the first to make quick work of the Tides in the seventh. Cooper Pratt reached via an error to start the home half of the inning and Freddy Zamora drew a walk to put some pressure on Jose Espada. After both advanced a base on a groundout for Jacob Hurtubise, who replaced Jackson Chourio in the fourth inning, fellow rehabber Andrew Vaughn grounded out to end the threat.
Three straight Norfolk hits off Peter Strzelecki in the top of the eighth made it a four-run game at 5-1 but the right-hander retired each of the next two he faced. Lara reached for a second time with a leadoff walk to start the bottom of the eighth and Williams drew a walk of his own off Espada to put multiple runners on for a fourth straight inning.
A warning track flyout off the bat of Jeferson Quero advanced Lara and Williams. Facing a new pitcher, Pratt flew out to right field to end the inning and strand two more in his last chance to extend his hitting streak. Strzelecki retired all three he faced in the top of the ninth in his second inning of work and added a pair of strikeouts to make it 13 total on the night for Nashville’s pitching staff.
Leonard made it a 3-hit night beating out an infield single to start Nashville’s final chance at mounting a comeback. Zamora and Hurtubise drew consecutive walks against Alex Pham to load the bases with no outs and sent Vaughn to the plate as the tying run. The Tides traded a run for their third double play turned, and Judd Fabian didn’t have to move far on a hard-hit line out to center by Lara to end the ballgame.
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The Nashville Sounds will need a win in the finale on Sunday to salvage a series split with the Norfolk Tides. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05pm.
