Dillard Dominates in Complete Game Effort

Tim Dillard tossed the first nine-inning complete game by a Sounds pitcher since 2016 to help lead Nashville to a 7-3 win over the Albuquerque Isotopes in front of a sellout crowd of 10,581 at First Tennessee Park Friday night.
Dillard threw 70 of his 96 pitches for strikes in the dominant performance. Albuquerque's Sam Hilliard and Pat Valaika were on base when Roberto Ramos clubbed a one-out, three-run homer to give the Isotopes a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. From there, the night was Dillard's.
The right-hander faced the minimum 26 batters after the home run by Ramos. Dillard allowed a base hit to start the fourth inning, but the runner was erased by a 4-3 double play. He allowed a one-out walk in the eighth but got Drew Butera to bounce into an inning-ending 6-3 double play.
Dillard came back out for the ninth with a 7-3 lead and retired the Isotopes on three consecutive ground balls to finish the gem.
The Sounds erased the 3-0 deficit in the bottom of the third in the span of two pitches. With one out and the bases loaded, Matt Davidson plated a pair of runs with a double to the gap in right-center. On the very next pitch, Nick Solak launched a three-run homer into the Vanderbilt Health Picnic Place to give the Sounds a 5-3 lead.
A 39-minute rain delay halted play in the middle of the fifth inning but it didn't slow down Nashville's offense or Dillard.
Solak made it a 6-3 game in the bottom of the fifth with a sacrifice fly. In the seventh, Andy Ibáñez, Davidson and Eli White collected hits. White's two-out knock plated Ibanez to extend the lead to 7-3.
Game two of the four-game series is scheduled for Saturday night. Left-hander Kolby Allard makes his organizational debut after being acquired in a trade from Atlanta on July 30.
Post-Game Notes
- With tonight's 7-3 win, the Sounds improved to 46-63 in 2019.   
- Tim Dillard tossed the first complete game (9.0 IP, 4 R, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) by a Sounds pitcher in 2019. It's the first by a Sounds pitcher since Frankie Montas threw one on May 14, 2018 at Memphis.
- The nine-inning complete game was the first by a Sounds pitcher since Jharel Cotton threw a one-hit, complete-game shutout on August 9, 2016 at Round Rock.
- Dillard faced the minimum 26 batters after allowing a three-run home run in the first inning.
- Nick Solak hit his sixth home run in 15 games with Nashville. Overall in 2019, it was Solak's 23rd of the season.
- Zack Granite stole his 20th base of the season. He's the first Sound with over 20 since Jorge Mateo's 25 in 2018.
The 2019 season is the 42nd in Nashville Sounds franchise history and first as the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Single-game tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.