Late Rally, Clutch Hits in 10th Inning Propels Sounds to Victory at Durham

Durham, N.C. – After falling behind in the middle innings, the Nashville Sounds (16-18) rallied with a go-ahead home run in the ninth followed by multiple run-scoring hits in the 10^th to take down the Durham Bulls (13-21) 9-8 in the series opener at Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Tuesday.

Tied 7-7 after nine, Nashville scored twice in the top of the extra frame. Noah Campbell singled into center field to bring home Isaac Collins from third for the go-ahead run. Yonny Hernández followed with a ground-rule double down the right field line to score the eventual winning run in Vinny Capra. Enoli Paredes (S, 4) allowed the extra inning runner to score with two outs but struck out Yu Chang to end the game and give the Sounds their third-straight win, this one in dramatic fashion.

Nashville trailed 6-5 entering the ninth inning and things looked bleak for the visitors after the first two batters in the inning failed to reach. Owen Miller kept things alive with a bloop single into right field. That set the table for Brewer Hicklen, who destroyed an 0-2 fastball and sent it over the left field wall for a go-ahead homer. The shot went an estimated 451 feet and had an exit velocity of 109.1 MPH off the bat. Hicklen also hit a solo homer to start the scoring in the second inning.

Nashville was forced to win in extras after Rene Pinto hit a game-tying home run off Rob Zastryzny (4-0) to lead off the bottom of the ninth. The left-hander managed to strike out three Bulls in the inning to force extras and eventually get his team-leading fourth win of the season.

The Sounds went ahead early, going up 4-0 after a four-run second inning with four hits off Durham starter Mason Montgomery. The Bulls answered back with a four-run inning of their own in the third, including back-to-back home runs by Ruben Cardenas and Chang. Durham then forced Sounds starter Aaron Ashby out of the game in the fourth inning after getting seven hits and seven walks off the lefty. Reliever Harold Chirino escaped Ashby’s jam by getting two huge outs and keeping the game tied.

Durham took their first lead in the game during the sixth inning, scoring a pair off Corbin Martin. Nashville got one back in the seventh on Hicklen’s RBI single. The Sounds stranded runners in scoring position in the seventh and eighth innings with two outs before more Hicklen heroics.

Hicklen’s five RBI is the most by a Sounds hitter this season – it was also his 10^th multi-hit game and sixth multi-RBI performance of 2024. Hernández also plated multiple Sounds on multiple hits out of the first spot in the batting order. Capra scored twice on his second three-hit game of the season.

The Sounds and Bulls play game two of the series tomorrow night. Right-hander Tyler Woessner (0-1, 43.20) will try and get his first win at the Triple-A level for Nashville. Durham’s starter is to be determined. The first pitch is scheduled for 5:35 p.m. central from the Tar Heel State.

Post-Game Notes

• Brewer Hicklen tied a career high with five RBI and had his first multi-homer game as a Sound. His last game with two home runs was on July 14, 2023 vs. Indianapolis while playing for Omaha. His last five RBI performance was on August 24, 2021 2021 vs. Springfield while with Double-A Northwest Arkansas.
• Enoli Paredes added his team-leading fourth save, not allowing an earned run in the 10^th. Paredes has a 1.13 ERA (16.0 IP/2 ER), a 0.88 WHIP and .161 opponent batting average through 14 relief appearances this season.
• Today’s win snaps Nashville’s three-game losing streak at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The Sounds have matched their longest winning streak of the season at three game.

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].