Nashville Sounds drop game to Round Rock Express 8-6 in extra innings

Nashville, TN- The Round Rock Express rallied from a mid-game four-run deficit to eventually hang an 8-6, 10-inning defeat on the Nashville Sounds on Sunday evening at Greer Stadium.

Nashville (51-78), which led 5-1 entering the sixth inning, fell to 1-7 in extra-inning play this season (0-4 at home).

In the decisive tenth frame, Round Rock loaded the bases with no outs on a walk sandwiched by a pair of singles against Travis Webb. Engel Beltre delivered a go-ahead RBI single to center before Alex Buchholz chased Webb with an RBI groundout that gave the Express an 8-6 lead.

Burns recovered to strike out Hunter Morris and Hainley Statia in succession before retiring Blake Lalli on a game-ending groundout to nail down his 19th save of the year.

Ben Rowan (2-1) was awarded the victory for Round Rock despite suffering a blown save in the contest. Webb (2-5) drew the loss for Nashville after allowing the go-ahead scores in his two innings of action.

Right-hander Alfredo Figaro made his Sounds debut and turned in a good effort. He worked four-plus innings, allowing one run on five hits with three walks issued and four strikeouts while throwing 72 pitches in the outing.

Round Rock took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning against Figaro. Former Brewers farmhand Guilder Rodriguez doubled and scored on Jim Adduci’s two-out single to center.

Second baseman Eugenio Velez powered the Sounds to a 2-1 lead in the home half of the frame when he drilled his first home run as a member of the team, a two-out, two-run drive to right off Josh Lindblom. Kentrail Davis, who drew a two-out walk preceding Velez, also scored on the blast.

Velez has reached base in 21 straight contests, hitting .382 (29-for-76) over that span.

Gindl kept the one-run lead intact in the fourth when he threw out Joey Butler at the plate as he attempted to score from second on Mike Bianucci’s one-out single to right. It was Gindl’s team-leading eighth outfield assist of the year and fifth at the plate.

Gindl continued his strong night in the fifth when he upped the Nashville lead to 5-1 with a three-run homer to right off Lindblom. Josh Prince (2-for-4) and Stephen Parker, who had each singled earlier in the frame, also scored on the two-out blast, Gindl’s 11th big fly of the season. The roundtripper extended his longest hitting streak of the season to nine games (14-for-37, .378).

Round Rock got a pair of runs back in the sixth against reliever Zach Kroenke to pull within 5-3. Bianucci ripped an RBI single and Jared Hoying laced a run-scoring double to right during the frame.

The Express rallied to grab a 6-5 lead in the eighth by plating four runs off Johnnie Lowe. Catcher Zach Zaneski, batting .071 entering the at-bat, delivered the game-tying blow, a bases-loaded two-run single to center. After an intentional walk reloaded the bags, Webb took over on the hill for the Sounds and was greeted by a go-ahead sacrifice fly to center off the bat of Beltre. Two of the three runs in the inning, including the go-ahead score, were unearned following a fielding error by Prince at shortstop.

The back-and-forth affair continued in the bottom of the eighth as the Sounds squared the contest at six all on Statia’s two-out RBI double into the left field corner off Rowen, which plated Diaz.

The team continue their series with a 7:05pm contest on Monday night. Left-hander Aaron Laffey (6-6, 5.53) will make the start for the Sounds and face Round Rock right-hander Evan Meek (5-7, 3.79).

Box Score