Sounds Lose Battle in Durham

The Nashville Sounds took a tough loss after rallying to tie the game a few times on the night, coming up short in a 7-5 defeat to the Durham Bulls on Thursday night.

Nashville had to play from behind after Durham scored the opening run in the second inning. The Sounds held a short-lived lead in the third inning after Esteury Ruiz reached on an RBI infield single and Brice Turang plated Mario Feliciano on a fielder’s choice, making it a 2-1 game.

Durham retook the lead with three runs in their half of the third, but Patrick Dorrian answered the call soon after. He lined his third homer of the series to right, also bringing home Garrett Mitchell to even things at 4-4. Joey Wiemer added another RBI to again bring things even at 5-5 after his single scored Mitchell in the sixth.

In the end, the Bulls were able to wait out Sounds pitching for a couple of runs in the eighth. Durham drew a couple of hit by pitches and walks off J.C. Mejia to pull ahead 7-5. Nashville went 1-2-3 in the ninth for their first loss of the series.

Ethan Small had a short outing after falling behind on pitch count in the second. He walked three and allowed a hit and a run, going just 1.2 innings.

Zack Brown and Hobie Harris did their job in keeping the game tied. Brown tallied three strikeouts in his scoreless sixth inning, while Harris added a scoreless seventh. Nash Walters made his Triple-A debut and got the Sounds out of the eighth inning.

Mitchell led Nashville with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with two runs, a walk and two stolen bases. Dorrian ended the night going 1-for-3 with two runs, a homer and two RBI. Ruiz and Turang each had a hit and RBI, respectively.

The series continues with game four of the six-game set scheduled for tomorrow at 5:35 p.m. central. Right-hander Dylan File (8-6, 4.25) will get the start for the Sounds. Durham’s starter is to be determined.

Post-Game Notes

• Esteury Ruiz (2-for-4, BB, SB) extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a single in the third inning… he’s hitting .377 (20-for-53) with 11 runs, 5 doubles and 3 RBI during the streak.
• Patrick Dorrian homered for the third-straight night…he’s batting .300 (3-for-10) with 3 homers, 6 RBI and 3 walks in the series.
• Sal Frelick extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a double in the seventh. Frelick is batting .432 (19-for-44) with 11 runs, 4 doubles, 2 RBI and 5 walks during the streak.
• Ethan Small’s 1.2 innings was his shortest start for Nashville since September 24, 2021, vs. Columbus (also 1.2 IP).

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].