Bats Win Slugfest Over Sounds 14-9

The Louisville Bats offense erupted for a season-high 14 runs, continually expanding their lead when they needed to most to a 14-9 win over the Nashville Sounds in the opener of a six-game series on Tuesday night at Louisville Slugger Field.

The teams traded runs throughout the early portion of the game. Making his season debut, Bats righty Christian Roa got two quick outs in the first before an errant pickoff attempt allowed Francisco Mejia to score for Nashville.

Louisville responded in the bottom of the frame off Nashville righty Carlos Rodriguez (L, 0-4). In his Louisville Slugger Field debut, Livan Soto got the first hit of the night for the home team with a double that landed just fair down the left field line. Two hitters later, Mike Ford’s grounder to first took a fortunate bounce off the first base bag and into right field for a game-tying RBI double.

Isaac Collins started the second with a home run to put the Sounds back in front, but the lead wouldn’t last long. Conner Capel got the Bats going in the second with a walk. Hernan Perez and Erik Gonzalez followed with singles to load the bases with one out. On an 0-1 pitch, Bats leadoff man Blake Dunn earned a painful RBI by getting hit by a pitch, scoring Capel to even the score at two. Soto followed with a line drive into the gap in right-center for his second double of the night, scoring Perez and Gonzalez to give the home team a 4-2 lead. Ford then laced a single up the middle to score two more, bringing the Louisville lead to 6-2 after two.

Nashville chipped away at the Louisville lead, scoring a run in both the third and fourth against Roa. The Louisville righty pitched four innings, allowing four runs, two earned, on four hits with four walks and five strikeouts.

Justin Bruihl (W, 2-0) allowed a run in the top of the fifth. The Bats again were quick to get it back. Ford began the inning with a walk and P.J. Higgins singled to put runners on the corners with two outs. Perez cashed in with a two-run double high off the wall in right-center to increase the lead to 8-5.

Once more, the Sounds clawed closer on a two-run homer by Tyler Black of Brooks Kriske in the top of the sixth before the Bats righty retired the next three hitters he faced to hold the 8-7 lead. Alan Busenitz pitched the Bats’ first scoreless inning in the top of the seventh. Louisville broke the game open for good in the bottom half.

A Ford single and walks to Higgins and Michael Trautwein loaded the bases with one out. From there, Perez, Gonzalez, and Dunn each took a bases-loaded walk to bring the lead to 11-7. Two hitters later, Rece Hinds laced a double that left his bat at 113 miles per hour, the hardest hit ball by a Bat all season, to clear the bases again and make it a 14-7 game.

Nashville got closer with two runs in the eighth. However, Tony Santillan slammed the door shut in the ninth to give the Bats the victory.

Offensively, all nine Bats reached with either a hit or a walk. Eight of the nine starters took a walk. Ford led the way by going 3-for-4 with two runs scored, a double, and three RBI while Soto went 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI, and two runs. Hinds and Perez each drove in three runs in the series opening triumph.

The Bats (10-12) and Sounds (11-11) continue their series with a matinee on Wednesday morning. First pitch at Louisville Slugger Field is scheduled for 11:05 a.m. Nick Curran and Jim Kelch will be on the call for 1450/96.1 WXVW.