Sounds Smash Stripers to Start Series

Lawrenceville, Ga. – The Nashville Sounds (54-48, 16-11) began their trip to the Peach State with a win, taking down the Gwinnett Stripers (48-55, 13-15), 9-3, on Tuesday night at Coolray Field.

The Nashville offense came ready to hit, jumping ahead early in the first few innings. Owen Miller provided the first runs of the night, jumping on the first pitch of his first at-bat against Sounds starter Taylor Widener (3-5) and depositing the slider over the fence in center for a two-run shot. Later in the inning, Vinny Capra contributed a couple more with a two-run single that scored Wes Clarke and Chris Roller, making it 4-0.

In the fourth inning, things got a bit strange. Gwinnett sent out Sandy León, a veteran catcher, to pitch with weather approaching. However, the rain would not come in time to save the 35-year-old, as Clarke clobbered a two-run shot to left center field that pushed Nashville’s lead to eight runs. Sounds starter Carlos Rodriguez got some quick outs in the fourth, but his night was cut short by an hour and 18-minute rain delay. Though he did not qualify for the win, Rodriguez held Gwinnett to just one hit with four strikeouts.

After the delay, Nashville’s bullpen did not allow Gwinnett to make much of a comeback. Taylor Clarke (2-3), JB Bukauskas and Kevin Herget each worked a scoreless inning to keep the shut out alive through seven. Mitch White yielded three to the Stripers in the eighth before Ryan Middendorf put the finishing touches on the big win.

Capra led the offense with three RBI, while Miller, Clarke and Isaac Collins also knocked in multiple runs, respectively. Tyler Black reached base six times in the victory with three singles and three walks in six plate appearances. As a team, Nashville walked 11 times and had 24 total baserunners in the contest.

The Sounds and Stripers continue their series tomorrow night at Coolray Field. Left-hander DL Hall (0-1, 2.82) will get another rehab start for Nashville. He’ll face fellow southpaw Dylan Dodd (2-7, 4.75). The first pitch is set for 6:05 p.m. central in Gwinnett County.

Post-Game Notes

• Owen Miller (2-for-5, 3 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K) hit his fourth home run of the season to get the Sounds on the scoreboard in the second inning. He is one of nine Sounds to have 4+ home runs this season.
• Wes Clarke (1-for-3, 3 R, HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, K) hit his eighth Triple-A home run and 11^th overall in the fourth inning. His 11 home runs are the fourth most in the Brewers minor league system.
• Tyler Black (3-for-3, 3 1B, 3 BB) became just the fourth Sound since 2005 to reach six times in a game. The last player to do so was Zack Granite on July 3, 2019 vs. Oklahoma City (4-for-4, 3 R, RBI, 2 BB).
• The win snaps a four-game losing streak to Gwinnett. It was the longest losing streak to the Stripers since the teams began playing each other in 2021.
• Since last Tuesday, the Sounds have drawn 44 walks. It’s the third-most in the International League (1 less than Buffalo and Toledo), despite playing at least one less game than the rest of the league due to the Sunday rainout.

The Nashville Sounds are the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and play at First Horizon Park. Single-game tickets for the remainder of the 2024 season are on sale now. For more information call 615-690-4487 or e-mail [email protected].