Charlotte Rallies Past Sounds
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Nashville Sounds built a 5-0 lead by the middle of the fourth inning on Saturday night but had just one baserunner and no hits the rest of the way, and the Charlotte Knights scored seven runs in the bottom of the fourth and beat the Sounds,
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Nashville Sounds built a 5-0 lead by the middle of the fourth inning on Saturday night but had just one baserunner and no hits the rest of the way, and the Charlotte Knights scored seven runs in the bottom of the fourth and beat the Sounds, 8-5, at Truist Field. The Sounds will look to split the series on Sunday, and with 16 games left in the regular season, their lead atop the division is 4.0 games pending Columbus’ result at Louisville.
The Sounds jumped on Charlotte starter Scott Blewett right away, as Sal Frelick led off the game with a single, stole second, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Brice Turang’s single. Then Frelick smacked a two-run double in the second to make it 3-0, and he was on base in the fourth when Esteury Ruiz launched a two-run homer to left for a 5-0 advantage. The Ruiz homer turned out to be the Sounds’ final hit of the night, and their only baserunner from the fifth inning through end of the game was an eighth-inning walk by Pedro Severino.
Tyler Herb (6-6), who entered Saturday 4-0 with a 1.55 ERA in his last four starts, got off to a good start. He struck out three and benefitted from a pair of double plays in the first three innings before a seven-run Charlotte onslaught in the fourth that included three home runs. Carlos Perez’s two-run shot as the eighth batter of the frame gave the Knights a 7-5 lead and took Herb out of the game. J.C. Mejia tossed 2 2/3 scoreless relief to give the Sounds’ offense a chance, and Cam Robinson allowed a run in the seventh for the 8-5 final. Yoan Aybar (1-3) got the win and Andrew Perez notched his third save for the Knights.
The six-game series concludes Sunday at 5:05 CT. Right-hander Caleb Boushley (11-2, 3.62) is scheduled to start for the Sounds (81-52), and left-hander John Parke (3-10, 6.27) is slated to pitch for Charlotte (53-81).
Post-Game Notes
- Brice Turang went 1-for-3 with two walks and registered his 70th RBI and 30th stolen base of the season…of the 9 players in the International League with 30+ steals, Turang is one of only two to have been caught only twice all season.
- Sal Frelick went 3-for-5, advancing his on-base streak to 28 games, the 2nd-longest active streak in the International League (Freddy Fermin, Omaha, 31) …Frelick has 15 multi-hit games in 33 games with the Sounds.
- Esteury Ruiz’s home run was his 14th of the year, first as a Sound and first as a member of the Brewers organization.
- Joey Wiemer went 0-for-4, snapping a 16-game on-base streak.
The Nashville Sounds are the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and play at First Horizon Park. Single-game tickets are on sale now for all home games in 2022. For more information call 615-690-4487 or e-mail [email protected].