Pitcher Bubba Derby Homers in Nashville's Second Straight Win
Pitcher Bubba Derby delivered a pinch-hit home run to break a 2-2 tie and propel the Nashville Sounds to an 8-2 win over the Memphis Redbirds in front of 3,976 fans on Thursday night at First Horizon Park. Derby is the first Sounds pitcher to homer since June 14, 2014
Pitcher Bubba Derby delivered a pinch-hit home run to break a 2-2 tie and propel the Nashville Sounds to an 8-2 win over the Memphis Redbirds in front of 3,976 fans on Thursday night at First Horizon Park. Derby is the first Sounds pitcher to homer since June 14, 2014 (Kyle Heckathorn vs. Reno).
Nashville jumped on the board first when Mario Feliciano made it a 1-0 game on a sacrifice fly from Mario Feliciano.
Memphis responded in the third with a two-run homer, but the Sounds tied the game at two in the bottom half when Hernán Pérez hit a homer of his own.
Derby’s homer in the fifth inspired a rally as Dustin Peterson and Derek Fisher each brought home a run with a single to give Nashville a 5-2 lead.
The Sounds added three insurance runs in the eighth. Jace Peterson roped an RBI-double, Pérez scored on a wild pitch and Corey Ray singled home a run to put Nashville up 8-2.
Blaine Hardy started for Nashville and went five innings in the win. He struck out four and became the first Sounds starter to pick up a win in 2021. Derby followed with two scoreless innings, Quintin Torres-Costa fired a zero in the eighth and Hoby Milner finished the game with a scoreless ninth.
Game four of the six-game series is scheduled for Friday night in Nashville. Left-hander Wade LeBlanc (0-0, 0.00) starts for the Sounds against left-hander Bernardo Flores Jr. (0-0, 2.70) for the Redbirds. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
Post-Game Notes
· Bubba Derby is the first Sounds pitcher to homer since June 14, 2014 (Kyle Heckathorn vs. Reno)….and hit the first pinch-hit home run since July 6, 2016 (Max Muncy at Memphis).
· Hernán Pérez homered for the first time since September 29, 2019 (at Colorado)…he is batting .571 with 3 runs, 2 doubles, 1 home runs and 4 RBI in his first two games with the Sounds.
· Nashville has scored first in seven of eight games this season…they are 5-2 when scoring first.
· The Sounds have won four of their last five games.
· Keston Hiura doubled twice for the first time since September 27, 2019 (at Colorado).
· Dustin Peterson has recorded an RBI in three straight games.