Late Homer Sends Sounds to Loss

Memphis Wins Three-Game Series with 10th Inning Blast

(Casey Gower)

July 9, 2017

Breyvic Valera launched a solo home run in the top of the 10th inning to help the Memphis Redbirds to a 2-1 win over the Nashville Sounds in front of a sellout crowd of 10,148 Sunday night at First Tennessee Park.The two teams played to an even 1-1 game after

Breyvic Valera launched a solo home run in the top of the 10^th inning to help the Memphis Redbirds to a 2-1 win over the Nashville Sounds in front of a sellout crowd of 10,148 Sunday night at First Tennessee Park.
The two teams played to an even 1-1 game after nine innings of play. Valera's go-ahead shot came on a 1-1 pitch from Kyle Finnegan with two outs in the inning.
Armed with a one-run lead, Redbirds reliever Josh Lucas set the Sounds down in order in the bottom of the 10th to notch his sixth win of the season.
Starters Chris Jensen and Josh Zeid were equally efficient as the game went into the sixth at 0-0. Former Sound Rangel Ravelo started the scoring for Memphis when he plated Harrison Bader with a two-out base hit to right-center.
Nashville bounced right back and evened the game at 1-1 when Mark Canha delivered a two-out, run-scoring single in the bottom half of the sixth.
Neither Jensen nor Zeid factored into the decision. Jensen allowed one run on five hits in six innings. He walked a pair and struck out four. Zeid shut out the Sounds over five innings. He scattered three hits, walked one, and struck out four.
Both bullpens kept the other team off the board until the 10th. Nashville's Lou Trivino worked two perfect innings and Simon Castro tossed a 1-2-3 ninth.
It looked like Finnegan was going to do the same in the 10^th but Valera had other plans. It was the second night in a row a late two-out rally provided the difference for Memphis in the series win.
Joey Wendle and Kenny Wilson had two hits apiece in the loss. At 42-48, the Sounds are 14.5 games back of front-running Memphis at the break.
The Sounds are off for the next three days during the Triple-A All-Star break. The second half of the season begins with a 12-game road trip, beginning with four in Omaha on Thursday.
The 2017 season is the Sounds' 40^th in franchise history and their third as the Oakland Athletics' top affiliate. Single-game tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.