Nashville Sounds Baseball
Kevin Mattison Blasts 4th Pinch-Hit Grand Slam In Sounds’ History
Nashville, TN – Tied 1-1 in the seventh inning, pinch hitter Kevin Mattison helped the Nashville Sounds take down the visiting Memphis Redbirds Friday night at Greer Stadium with his grand slam over the right field wall, which proved to be the difference in the team’s 5-1 victory.
Mattison entered the game 2-for-25 on the year and 0-for-3 in pinch-hit situations for the Sounds before making history in Nashville.
![Nashville Sounds. Nashville Sounds.](https://www.clarksvilleonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Nashville-Sounds-Baseball-7-480x360.jpg)
Hunter Morris, 2-for-4, singled down the right field line and moved to third on a pair of walks drawn by Irving Falu and Matt Pagnozzi to set the table for Mattison’s game-winning homer off reliever Jose Alamarante.
Memphis took the initial 1-0 lead over the Sounds with Greg Garcia’s home run over the right-centerfield wall, but the Sounds answered with Falu’s RBI single in the fifth inning. The hit scored Morris, who rapped his fifth double of the season to lead-off the frame.
Pitcher Brad Mills made a spot start for the Sounds, limiting the Redbirds to one run on four hits over 4 2/3 innings of work. He struck out six batters and walked two before reliever Kyle Heckathorn (1-1) took over in the fifth.
Heckathorn picked up the win, his first of the year, by holding Memphis to one hit in 2 1/3 innings. Sounds relievers Alfredo Figaro and Michael Blazek followed with one scoreless inning apiece.
Memphis reliever Nick Greenwood (0-2) was charged with the losing run and took the loss for the Redbirds.
Sounds outfielder Eugenio Velez picked up a single in the seventh inning to extend his hit streak to six. The 31-year-old has hit safely in each of his 11 starts this season.
The win in the homestand finale ties Nashville’s series with the Redbirds and gives the Sounds the 4-3 homestand victory.
The Sounds hit the road Saturday to begin an nine day road trip, beginning with four against the Omaha Storm Chasers (AAA-Royals) before heading to Oklahoma City to take on the RedHawks (AAA-Astros). The Sounds will send RHP Mike Fiers (2-0, 0.71) on Saturday to face the Chasers RHP P.J. Walters (0-1, 5.68). Jeff Hem has the call on 102.5-FM “The GAME”.
Box Score
April 18th, 2014
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Memphis Redbirds | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
Nashville Sounds | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | x | 5 | 6 | 0 |
Memphis | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Garcia, G, SS | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .269 |
Grichuk, CF | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .351 |
Butler, Jy, LF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | .444 |
Piscotty, RF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .321 |
Almarante, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Wyatt, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
a-Pham, PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .167 |
Scruggs, 1B | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .236 |
Kozma, 2B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .077 |
Moore, S, 3B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .267 |
Greenwood, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Taveras, O, RF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .286 |
Perez, A, C | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .400 |
Whiting, P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 |
Curtis, 3B | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .269 |
Totals | 36 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 19 | .271 |
a-Struck out for Wyatt in the 9th. | ||||||||
BATTING 2B: Perez, A (3, Mills), Grichuk (6, Blazek). HR: Garcia, G (4, 3rd inning off Mills, 0 on, 1 out). TB: Grichuk 4; Perez, A 3; Curtis; Garcia, G 4; Taveras, O; Piscotty. RBI: Garcia, G (10). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Scruggs 4; Whiting; Piscotty; Garcia, G 2. Team RISP: 1-for-10. Team LOB: 13.BASERUNNING SB: Garcia, G (1, 3rd base off Heckathorn/Pagnozzi), Piscotty (2, 2nd base off Heckathorn/Pagnozzi). |
Nashville | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Orr, 2B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .351 |
Velez, LF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .452 |
Gindl, CF-RF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .191 |
Halton, RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .227 |
Figaro, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Blazek, P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
Morris, H, 1B | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .280 |
Green, T, 3B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .267 |
Falu, SS | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .176 |
Pagnozzi, C | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .095 |
Mills, P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
Heckathorn, P | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 |
a-Mattison, PH-CF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .115 |
Totals | 30 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 10 | .240 |
a-Homered for Heckathorn in the 7th. | ||||||||
BATTING 2B: Orr (2, Whiting), Morris, H (5, Whiting). HR: Mattison (1, 7th inning off Almarante, 3 on, 2 out). TB: Velez; Falu; Orr 2; Mattison 4; Morris, H 3. RBI: Falu (3), Mattison 4 (5). 2-out RBI: Mattison 4. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Halton 3; Heckathorn. Team RISP: 2-for-9. Team LOB: 5.BASERUNNING SB: Falu (3, 2nd base off Whiting/Perez, A). |
Memphis | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Whiting | 5.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1.93 |
Greenwood (L, 0-2) | 1.2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3.86 |
Almarante | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4.26 |
Wyatt | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7.94 |
Totals | 8.0 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 4.01 |
Nashville | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mills | 4.2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 2.13 |
Heckathorn (W, 1-1) | 2.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8.44 |
Figaro | 1.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.00 |
Blazek | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9.45 |
Totals | 9.0 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 3.99 |
Almarante pitched to 4 batters in the 7th.
Balk: Almarante.
HBP: Butler, Jy (by Mills), Garcia, G (by Mills).
Pitches-strikes: Whiting 77-56, Greenwood 27-17, Almarante 23-13, Wyatt 24-14, Mills 88-56, Heckathorn 28-18, Figaro 19-13, Blazek 16-11.
Groundouts-flyouts: Whiting 7-0, Greenwood 4-0, Almarante 0-0, Wyatt 3-0, Mills 5-3, Heckathorn 4-2, Figaro 2-0, Blazek 1-0.
Batters faced: Whiting 18, Greenwood 7, Almarante 4, Wyatt 5, Mills 22, Heckathorn 9, Figaro 6, Blazek 4.
Inherited runners-scored: Almarante 2-2, Wyatt 2-0, Heckathorn 2-0.
Umpires: HP: Nick Bailey. 1B: Jeff Morrow. 3B: Ryan Goodman.
Weather: 69 degrees, overcast.
Wind: 4 mph, L to R.
T: 3:10.
Att: 5,752.
Venue: Herschel Greer Stadium.
April 18, 2014