Nashville, TN – The Nashville Sounds earned their first series win of the 2025 season, taking down the Memphis Redbirds 6-2 on Saturday night at First Horizon Park.Brandon Woodruff made the first appearance of his rehab assignment and his first regular season action since September 23rd, 2023, after missing all of 2024 while recovering from right shoulder surgery.
Woodruff threw 66 pitches and covered 3.2 IP while allowing four hits and two earned runs with five strikeouts and a pair of walks.
The offense gave the two-time National League All-Star a bit of breathing room in the first inning. The Sounds scored in their first trip to the plate for the fourth straight game and made it five-for-five scoring first in the series. Brewers’ no. 22-rated prospect Caleb Durbin hit the first of his two doubles on the night to put himself and Jared Oliva into scoring position after the latter drew a one-out walk. Ernesto Martinez Jr. drove in both with a single to give Nashville a 2-0 lead.
Durbin once again doubled in the bottom of the third and Martinez Jr. made it a four RBI night with a towering 435-foot home run that came off the bat at 111 mph for his second home run of the series. A leadoff walk drawn by Jose Barrero came around to be the first run allowed by Woodruff. Barrero stole second and scored on the first of consecutive singles allowed by the Nashville starter. A sac fly cut the Sounds lead in half and was the final batter faced by Woodruff. Garrett Stallings replaced him on the mound and struck out Wade Stauss before working a 1-2-3 top of the fifth en route to his first win of the season.
With the bases loaded and one out, Freddy Zamora pinch hit for Jorge Alfaro in the bottom of the fifth and delivered a two-RBI single for his first hit and RBI of the early season. Right-handers Jesus Liranzo and Easton McGee combined to allow one hit over their three innings with five strikeouts and a walk to keep the Redbirds at bay.
Blake Holub entered the game in the top of the ninth for the Sounds. A walk, strikeout, single, and another walk loaded the bases for the Memphis and sent Stauss to the plate to serve as the potential game-tying run. Holub struck him out and then got the Memphis leadoff man, Jose Fermin, to fly out and slam the door on the Redbirds.
The Nashville Sounds and Memphis Redbirds will wrap up their first series against each other with some Sunday afternoon baseball at First Horizon Park. RHP Tobias Myers is scheduled to make his second rehab start of the series. It’ll be a repeat of the same pitching matchup from Tuesday with RHP Ian Bedell (0-1, 11.81 ERA) taking the ball for the Redbirds. First pitch is scheduled for 2:05pm.
