Sounds Keep Marching On, Win Seventh Straight

NASHVILLE - The Nashville Sounds extended their season-best win streak to seven games as they held off the Sacramento River Cats 6-4 Sunday night at First Tennessee Park.
As Sounds starter Daniel Mengden routinely sent Sacramento hitters back to the first base dugout shaking their heads in frustration, the Sounds offense collected hit after hit. Mengden set a new season-high by collecting seven punch outs in his 6 2/3 innings of work. The offense tallied six runs on 17 hits in the game, one shy of the season-high.
Sheldon Neuse matched a career-high by tallying three hits while J.P. Sportman's three hits matched a season-high. Neuse knocked in runs in the fifth and eighth innings respectively.
Nashville scored a pair of runs in the first inning as Beau Taylor cranked a two-run double to the wall in left center field. The Sounds added another in the second. Steve Lombardozzi tripled over the head of center fielder Peter Bourjos to get the frame started. Two batters later Boog Powell scorched a base hit passed the outstretched arm of first baseman Myles Schroder to drive in Lombardozzi from third.
Neuse extended Nashville's lead in the fifth with a run-scoring single through the left side of the infield and Sportman cracked a gapper to right field for an RBI-double in the sixth.
The River Cats broke through on Mengden in the seventh inning. Schroder and Ryder Jones each singled to begin the inning and both came around to score on a double by Miguel Gómez who was thrown out attempting to stretch his double to a triple. Mengden retired one more batter before making way for Carlos Ramirez. Ramirez got the final out of the seventh inning and shutout the River Cats in the eighth before allowing a pair of runs in the ninth inning. It was the first save of the season for Ramirez.
Game three of the four-game series between the Sounds and River Cats is scheduled for Monday night at First Tennessee Park. Oakland's top prospect, left-hander Jesus Luzardo (0-0, --) starts for the Sounds in what will be his Triple-A debut against right-hander Shaun Anderson (1-1, 5.00) for the River Cats. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
Post-Game Notes
-With tonight's 6-4 win, the Sounds improved to 57-55 on the season.
-The Sounds extended their season-best winning streak to seven games.
-With his two-hit night, Dustin Fowler now has 17 multi-hit games in his 33 total games with the Sounds this season.
-Mengden became the fifth straight Sounds starter to go at least six innings. It was the 46th time this season the Sounds have gotten at least six innings out of their starting pitcher.
The 2018 season is the Sounds' 41st in franchise history and fourth as the Oakland Athletics' top affiliate. Single-game tickets are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.