Sounds Tally Two Walk-Off Wins in Opening Night Doubleheader

NASHVILLE – The Nashville Sounds led off the season with back-to-back walk-off victories in a doubleheader in front of 7,879 fans at First Horizon Park on Saturday night. Tyler Naquin’s heroics via a two-run homer gave the Sounds a 3-1 win in game one, and Skye Bolt scored on a wild pitch to put Nashville on top 5-4 in game two.

With the first pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning in game one, Tyler Naquin launched a skyscraping home run over the left field fence. The mob scene ensued at home plate after the Sounds scored victory via their first four-bagger of the year.

The Sounds were held hitless through the first five frames, but young phenom Sal Frelick erased that goose egg in the hit column with a triple that one-hopped off the wall. Later in the frame, Keston Hiura blooped an RBI single to tie things up at 1-1.

The clutch hits put the game away, but the Nashville hurlers did more than enough. After Caleb Boushley limited the Bats to a run through three frames, Pedro Fernandez added three scoreless in his Sounds debut. Elvis Peguero electrified the crowd with five strikeouts over the seventh and eighth innings to earn the win.

On a Major League rehab assignment, Louisville’s Joey Votto hit a mammoth solo blast in the first for the Bats’ only run in game one.

The Sounds leapt out to an early lead in game two after an Abraham Toro single plated Blake Perkins from third in the first inning. Frelick retied things to send home Bolt, making it a 2-2 game in the second.

Keston Hiura got all of a baseball and sent one over the left field fence in the third inning that gave the Sounds a 4-2 advantage. Louisville would rally to make it a 4-4 game as we went into extra innings.

After a quiet eighth inning, the Sounds took advantage of the ninth. Bolt began the inning as the placed runner and advanced to third on a wild pitch during Andruw Monasterio’s at-bat. Then, with Brian Navarreto at the plate, Bolt darted home on another wild pitch to score the game winner.

Lucas Erceg notched the win in relief after two strong, scoreless innings. Tyson Miller bounced back after giving up a home run in his first at-bat to retire the Bats in the sixth and seventh. In Colin Rea’s return to the Sounds, the right-hander struck out four over three innings, allowing two runs (none earned) on three hits.

Frelick turned in quite the performance in both games, totaling three hits, three walks and two stolen bases on the evening. Hiura had a hit and RBI in game one before reaching base four times with the homer and three walks in game two.

Game three of the series is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at First Horizon Park. Right-hander Janson Junk starts for the Sounds against right-hander Chase Anderson for the Bats. The first pitch is scheduled for 2:05 p.m.

Post-Game Notes

• The Sounds have walked off in each of their three Opening Night contests over the past two seasons. Corey Ray tallied the RBI single in the 10^th inning against Durham on April 5, 2022.
• Counting the end of the 2022 regular season, Sal Frelick has a 43-game on-base streak with the Sounds.
• Tyler Naquin’s last Triple-A home run came with Louisville on July 1, 2022 at Toledo on MLB rehab assignment. It was a leadoff homer.
• Elvis Peguero’s five strikeouts were his most since his April 6, 2022 with Salt Lake at Tacoma. It was also his first appearance of the season.

The Nashville Sounds are the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and play at First Horizon Park. For more information call 615-690-4487 or e-mail [email protected].