Sounds Secure Thrilling Victory in Seesaw Contest

NASHVILLE – It did not come easily, but the Nashville Sounds (82-65, 42-31) delivered some timely hits and Clayton Andrews locked down a wild 10-9 triumph over the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (70-78, 38-36) on Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd at First Horizon Park.

Tied at 9-9 with one out in the bottom of the eighth, Monte Harrison found himself seemingly dead to rights after overrunning third base on Tyler Black’s single up the middle. But the slick and speedy outfielder was able to scramble home for the go-ahead run after Jacksonville third baseman Jordan Groshans mishandled the throw and tripped over Harrison trying to retrieve the baseball.

The southpaw Andrews (6-0), returning to the mound for the ninth inning after striking out the final batter of the eighth, found himself in a bases-loaded situation with just one out. But he fanned Austin Allen before Jackson Chourio hauled in Groshans’ screaming line drive to clinch the victory.

It could have gotten out of hand early. Jacksonville scored four in the first inning against Adam Seminaris, who was making his Sounds debut. The Jumbo Shrimp proceeded to score a run in every inning from the third through the seventh, but the Sounds just kept fighting back. Down 4-0 after half of an inning, Nashville responded with a pair in their half of the first. Darin Ruf’s two-run homer in the third put Nashville back within one, now trailing 5-4. Jesse Winker shaved a 7-4 deficit in the fifth back to two runs with a two-out double. Chris Roller delivered a game-tying three-run blast to left in the sixth, sending the 11,163 fans at First Horizon Park into a frenzy.

Though it was messy at times, Nashville pitching kept the club in it by stranding a runner in every frame, totaling a season-high 15 men left on base. James Meeker stranded a pair in both the fifth and sixth, keeping Jacksonville from running away with the game. Fernando Abad left a runner on second in the seventh, and Andrews entered with runners on second and third in the eighth, fanning Brian Miller to end the frame.

Tomorrow afternoon, the Sounds take the diamond for the final time this season. Rehabbing left-hander Aaron Ashby (0-1, 54.00) starts for Nashville, with right-hander Janson Junk (7-10, 4.20) expected to follow. Jacksonville will send southpaw Enmanuel De Jesus (4-5, 4.78) to the hill. First pitch is set for 12:05 p.m. CDT at First Horizon Park.

Post-Game Notes

• Tyler Black extended his hitting streak to 13 games with an RBI single in the first. Since his streak started on September 7, Black ranks second in the International League in average (.449), on-base percentage (.542) and OPS (1.277).
• Since joining the Nashville Sounds on September 1, Chris Roller has slashed .346/.477/.615 in 65 plate appearances over 15 games. His 19 RBI are tied for the fifth most in the International League over the span.
• Rehabbing Milwaukee Brewers Garrett Mitchell (1-for-4), Darin Ruf (1-for-4) and Jesse Winker (2-for-4) all appeared in the starting lineup. Mitchell (CF) and Winker (1B) played a full nine innings, while Ruf (DH) was relieved by Monte Harrison in the crucial eighth inning.
• The Sounds committed four errors, matching a season high set twice – on April 1 (G2) vs. Louisville, and July 20 vs. Jacksonville.
• 11,163 fans were in attendance for tonight’s thrilling contest, marking the 15^th sellout of the season and 136^th sellout in First Horizon Park history.

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