Sounds Eighth Inning Collapse Negates Small's Impressive Outing

1. PAUL, Minn. – The Nashville Sounds (15-13) failed to hold onto a one run lead in the eighth inning and eventually fell 5-3 to the St. Paul Saints on Wednesday night at CHS Field.

Holding a 3-2 advantage entering the bottom of the eighth, the Saints would get back-to-back baserunners to reach before doubling then plating another on a Sounds error to take a 5-3 lead. Though Isaac Collins would reach to start the ninth, Nashville failed to mount a last-ditch rally as St. Paul evened the series.

Ethan Small had an outstanding night in relief, taking over after starter Thomas Pannone ate up three innings in his first start. The left-hander inherited a 2-0 deficit but held St. Paul to a couple of hits over three scoreless innings, piling up six strikeouts in the process.

While Small was taking care of business on the bump, the Sounds offense came back to take the lead. Cam Devanney put Nashville on the scoreboard with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning. In the next inning, Eddy Alvarez would line a fly ball to right that allowed Monte Harrison to tag up and score. The Sounds took advantage of a misplay on Jon Singleton’s fly ball to shallow left later in the frame. It fell to the turf between three Saints and allowed Blake Perkins to score the then go-ahead run, making it 3-2.

Clayton Andrews worked 1.1 innings, striking out one but allowing a hit. His baserunner that was left became the tying run. Lucas Erceg (3-1) took the loss, giving up two runs (both earned) on two hits and a walk while getting two outs in the eighth.

Perkins and Harrison had multi-hit efforts, each contributing two, respectively. Abraham Toro extended his on-base streak to 22 games with three walks on the night. Singleton also brough his on-base streak to 22 games with a single. Alvarez went 0-for-1 but with a sac fly and two walks.

Starter Janson Junk (2-1, 1.31) gets the nod for Nashville in tomorrow night’s contest. Left-hander Brent Headrick (0-0, 6.00) will get the start for the Saints. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:37 p.m. from CHS Field.

Post-Game Notes

• Abraham Toro extended his on-base streak to 22 games with three walks. He’s batting .288 (23-for-80) with five runs, six doubles, 11 RBI and 13 walks during the streak.
• Jon Singleton singled to bring his on-base streak to 22 games. He’s batting .247 (18-for-73) with seven runs, two doubles and 11 RBI during the streak.
• Ethan Small struck out six in three scoreless innings in relief, the most strikeouts by a Sounds reliever this season. Over his last five outings, Small has struck out 15 over 9.1 scoreless innings.
• Keston Hiura extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a single. He’s batting .486 (17-for-35) with six runs, five doubles, three homers and 13 RBI during the streak.

The Nashville Sounds are the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and play at First Horizon Park. Season ticket memberships for the 2023 season are on sale now. For more information call 615-690-4487 or e-mail [email protected].