Big hits elude Jumbo Shrimp in 6-4 defeat

Jacksonville leaves 13 runners on, falls in Nashville

Griffin Conine went 1-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs on Wednesday at Nashville. (Melissa Morell/Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp)

By Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp

September 20, 2023

NASHVILLE –The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp stranded 13 runners Wednesday in a 6-4 loss to the Nashville Sounds from First Horizon Park. The Sounds (80-64, 40-30) earned a wire-to-wire win. An error allowed Garrett Mitchell to reach to begin the bottom of the first. Mitchell stole second and then scored on

NASHVILLE –The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp stranded 13 runners Wednesday in a 6-4 loss to the Nashville Sounds from First Horizon Park.

The Sounds (80-64, 40-30) earned a wire-to-wire win. An error allowed Garrett Mitchell to reach to begin the bottom of the first. Mitchell stole second and then scored on Jackson Chourio’s RBI double for the game’s first run. After a pair of ground outs, Jumbo Shrimp (69-76, 37-34) starter Devin Smeltzer (5-10) departed with an apparent injury. Owen Miller greeted reliever Eli Villalobos with a two-run home run to make it 3-0.

Austin Allen drew the first of his career-high three walks to jumpstart the second. Jordan Groshans followed with a base hit. Allen advanced to third on a fly out and scored on Griffin Conine’s sacrifice fly to get Jacksonville on the board.

Nashville answered in the third. Tyler Black singled to begin the inning, with Joey Wiemer following with a two-run blast to widen the gap to 5-1.

The fourth inning started with a Dane Myers single and Allen walk. After a pair of outs, Conine singled in Myers to trim to Sounds advantage to 5-2.

With one out in the fifth, Jacob Amaya drew a free pass and Troy Johnston singled Amaya to third. Myers lifted a sacrifice fly to get Jacksonville within 5-3.

In the bottom of the fifth, a Chourio single and Black double started the frame. After a ground out, Miller registered a sacrifice fly to put the margin back at three runs.

The Jumbo Shrimp again fought back in the seventh. Johnston drew a leadoff walk. After a pair of ground outs, Groshans walked. Jerar Encarnacion then lashed an RBI double to draw things with 6-4. Jacksonville left a pair on in that inning, two more in the eighth and one in the ninth, going just 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

Jacksonville and Nashville play in Thursday’s 7:35 p.m. ET first pitch. Coverage begins at 7:20 p.m. ET on http://milb.streamguys1.com/jacksonville.

ABOUT THE JUMBO SHRIMP: The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp offer affordable family fun at 121 Financial Ballpark. Their inaugural season garnered the Southern League’s Don Mincher Organization of the Year, Promotional Trophy and Jimmy Bragan Executive of the Year, won by general manager Harold Craw. The club added its second Promotional Trophy in three years following the 2019 season. The 2021 season marked the return of Triple-A baseball in Jacksonville. To experience the excitement with the terrific value of ticket and group options, call the Jumbo Shrimp at (904) 358-2846 or visit www.jaxshrimp.com.