Nashville, TN – The Nashville Sounds split a doubleheader with the visiting Oklahoma City RedHawks on Tuesday evening at Greer Stadium, dropping the first game, 6-7, and taking the nightcap, 2-1. The twinbill made up Monday evening’s rainout.
In the nightcap, Sounds edged the RedHawks, 2-1, behind Brendan Katin’s two-run homer and another fine pitching effort from Sounds starter Amaury Rivas (2-0).
The damage came in the bottom of the fourth inning, as first baseman Mat Gamel led off the frame with a double down the left field line, extending his consecutive-game streak with a double to three games. Katin then jacked a two-run homer over the wall in right-center, for his second long ball of the doubleheader.
Mike McClendon shut the door with two perfect innings behind Rivas, picking up the club’s first save of the season.
RedHawks starter Jordan Lyles (0-1) allowed two runs on six hits with four strikeouts in four innings pitched for the loss.
In the opener, Oklahoma City shortstop Tommy Manzella clubbed an opposite-field home run in the top of the eighth inning to power the visiting RedHawks to a come-from-behind, 7-6 victory over the Nashville Sounds in the first game of a doubleheader on Tuesday evening at Greer Stadium.
The game-winning blast, which came against Sounds reliever Jim Henderson, was the infielder’s first big fly of the year as the RedHawks rallied from an early 5-0 deficit to record the win.
The Sounds didn’t go down without a fight, however. After RedHawks reliever Jose Valdez retired the first two batters in the bottom of the frame, Nashville loaded the bases when Taylor Green singled before Anderson Machado and pinch-hitter Chris Nowak drew back-to-back walks.
Casey Fien was brought to the hill by Oklahoma City skipper Tony DeFrancesco and induced a hard grounder to short from Edwin Maysonet, who looked like he would beat the throw to first but pulled up lame on the basepaths while grabbing his right hamstring and was out by a half-step. Fien recorded his first save of the season.
It was Nashville’s second consecutive extra-inning contest (0-2). The Sounds played 14 innings against New Orleans on Sunday before Monday’s rainout interrupted the on-field action.
The Sounds took advantage of a friendly wind blowing out to center as they touched Oklahoma City starter-hander Henry Villar for five runs in the bottom of the first inning. Four of the five runs scored in the frame came via three longballs off the southpaw, who made his career Triple-A debut in the contest.
After Edwin Maysonet (2-for-4, 2 doubles) led off the frame by doubling off the center field wall, Gamel plated him two batters later with a two-bagger of his own. Nashville cleanup hitter Katin followed with a two-run homer over the 24-foot high batters eye in center field. It was the first home run to skip off the speaker box behind the wall since Oklahoma’s Hank Blalock accomplished the feat on June 3, 2002 (off the Sounds’ Salomon Torres).
After Brandon Boggs walked and was thrown out trying to steal second, catcher Mike Rivera and third baseman Taylor Green increased the Nashville lead to 5-0 with back-to-back home runs off Villar. Green’s roundtripper was his first career Triple-A hit.
The RedHawks jumped on the board in the second with a pair of two-out runs against Sounds starter Sam Narron that made it a 5-2 contest. Manzella blooped a two-out RBI double to left-center then came around to score when Oswaldo Navarro (3-for-4) followed with a single to left.
Nashville got a run back in the home half of the frame when Narron hit a leadoff single and later scored on a Brett Carroll sacrifice fly to up the lead to 6-2.
Villar took a beating in his Triple-A debut, surrendering six runs on seven hits in just two innings of action for the RedHawks. Six of his seven knocks allowed went for extra bases.
Following Villar’s departure, three Oklahoma City relievers combined to hold the Sounds hitless over the next 5 2/3 innings before Green recorded a two-out single in the bottom of the eighth.
Oklahoma City cut the Sounds’ advantage to 6-3 in the third when Koby Clemens singled and later scored on a Manzella sacrifice fly. Boggs, the Nashville left fielder, squelched the RedHawks’ attempt to add another run when he threw out Drew Locke at the plate to end the inning as the runner tried to score on a Navarro single.
Narron, who left in line for a win in his first start of the year before the late blown save by the Sounds’ bullpen, allowed three runs on nine hits over five innings of work, throwing 70 pitches.
Left-hander Manny Parra made his first rehab appearance for the Sounds and worked a spotless sixth inning, throwing eight of his 10 pitches in the frame for strikes, then ran into trouble in the seventh.
After fanning Manzella to open his second frame of action, he allowed a Navarro double followed by an RBI single off the bat of Jose Vallejo, which made it a 6-4 contest. Consecutive walks to J.B. Shuck and Brian Dopirak loaded the bases with only one out in the inning and prompted Don Money to summon Henderson from the bullpen.
Bogusevic greeted the right-hander by smashing his 1-0 offering to the wall in right-center for a game-tying, two-run double that knotted the score at 6-6. An intentional walk to Clemens re-loaded the bases with still one out but Henderson rallied to strike out ex-Sound Carlos Corporan and Locke in succession to escape the frame without further damage.
Parra ultimately allowed three runs on two hits in his 1 1/3 innings of work. He walked two batters and struck out three, while throwing 35 pitches, 17 for strikes.
Henderson (0-1) took the loss for Nashville after giving up the winning run in his 1 2/3 frames of work.
RedHawks reliever Jose Valdez (1-0) worked 1 2/3 scoreless frames to earn the victory.
The teams continue the series with a 12:05pm matinee on Wednesday afternoon. Right-hander Mark Rogers (0-0, 1.93), the Milwaukee Brewers’ top prospect, takes the hill to make his second start of the year for Nashville. Oklahoma City will counter with right-hander Sergio Perez (0-0, 3.60).
