Haase, Hicklen Homer as Sounds Earn Series Split in Memphis

Memphis, Tenn. – The Nashville Sounds (7-8) snatched their third win in a series finale this season, taking an 8-4 triumph over the Memphis Redbirds (7-8) on Sunday afternoon at AutoZone Park. The victory means Nashville splits the six-game series against their in-state rival.

The Sounds fell behind 1-0 after an inning but did not trail for long. With a pair on in the second, Eric Haase hit his third homer of the series, a three-run blast to left field that put the good guys ahead for the first time.

The Redbirds answered with a three spot in the fourth, but Isaac Collins had the next answer, with his two-run triple putting Nashville up 5-4. After Collins scored on a Francisco Mejía sacrifice fly, it was Brewer Hicklen’s turn to leave the yard. The outfielder crushed his second homer of the season to left and made it an 8-4 game and a five-run fifth for the Sounds.

The four-run cushion proved to be plenty enough for the Sounds’ stellar bullpen. After Chad Patrick allowed a leadoff runner in the fifth, Rob Zastryzny (2-0) took over and worked out of a jam to put up a zero. Janson Junk then battled through 3.0 scoreless innings, and Enoli Paredes made his sixth scoreless appearance to put things on ice in the series finale.

Though he did not come around to score, Tyler Black led the team with three hits, all singles, and a walk in his five plate appearances out of the leadoff spot. Owen Miller and Vinny Capra also logged multi-hit days with two apiece, respectively. Nashville had 20 reach base in the contest and finished 4-for-9 with runners in scoring position on the day.

After splitting the six-game series, the Sounds return to Hit City for a series against the Omaha Storm Chasers, affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez (0-0, 0.00) will make his first start as a Sound. He’ll go up against Omaha right-hander Andrew Hoffman (1-1, 5.54). The first pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. at First Horizon Park on Tuesday night.

Post-Game Notes

• Sounds relievers did not allow an earned run in the series at Memphis. Their last earned run allowed came in the sixth inning on April 7 vs. St. Paul. They now boast a bullpen ERA of 0.92 (59.0 IP/6 ER), the lowest at the Triple-A level.
• Eric Haase hit his third home run of the series. The backstop finished the series going 5-for-19 with eight RBI, four runs and a 1.037 OPS.
• Owen Miller extended his hitting streak to nine games with a pair of singles. He’s batting .417 (15-for-36) with a triple, two RBI, three walks and six runs since the streak began on April 4 vs. St. Paul.
• After a 1-2-3 ninth inning, Enoli Paredes has made six-straight scoreless appearances to begin his Sounds career. He is currently one of five pitchers in the league to not allow a run through six appearances. Paredes has allowed just one hit with 12 strikeouts over 7.0 innings (0.29 WHIP, .043 BAA).

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