High-Scoring Contest Ends in 7-6 Sounds Loss
Date Posted: 5/21/2008

NASHVILLE – Despite plating six runs on 11 hits, the Nashville Sounds were unable to top the Memphis Redbirds in a 7-6 loss on Wednesday afternoon at Greer Stadium.

Russell Branyan homered and Brad Nelson added two RBIs for the Sounds, but the Redbirds offense proved too much for Nashville. There was back-and-forth scoring the entire game, but a four-run rally in the top of the seventh gave the final advantage to Memphis.

Redbirds starting pitcher J.P. Walters (2-0) turned in a quality start to earn his second win of the season, pitching six innings and giving up only three runs. Josh Phelps produced the first runs of the game when he hammered a two-run bomb off Sounds starter Jeff Weaver that sailed over the center field wall in the top of the first inning. It was his sixth home run of the year, with all of them coming off right-handed pitchers. Cody Haerther scored on the homer after reaching on an infield single earlier in the inning.

Nashville responded in the bottom half of the inning when Hernan Iribarren doubled to right-center field and then moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Callix Crabbe, who reached on an error by Redbirds starter P.J. Walters. Laynce Nix then collected an RBI when he hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Iribarren. With that RBI, Nix now has six in his last six games.

Branyan gave the Sounds the lead in the bottom of the third inning when he belted his team-leading 12th home run of the year over the right field wall on the first pitch of the at-bat. The longball was a two-run shot that scored Brad Nelson from first base after he singled in the previous at-bat. With the dinger, Branyan increased his team-leading RBI total to 36.

Not to be outdone by Branyan, Memphis right fielder Joe Mather cranked a solo home run off the guitar scoreboard in left field to tie the game up at three in the top of the fourth inning. The homer was Mather’s ninth of the year and third in the last five games.

The lead-swapping continued in the bottom of the fifth inning when Nashville plated its fourth run of the game. Crabbe led off with a walk and then moved to third when Memphis first baseman Phelps sailed a throw meant for second base into center field on a ground ball from Nix that could have been a double play. Nelson followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Crabbe from third for the unearned run.

After a rare scoreless inning for both teams in the sixth, the Redbirds mounted a four-run rally in the top of the seventh inning. David Freese doubled on a line drive to left field to start things off and was followed by a Colby Rasmus walk. Nashville reliever Mitch Stetter then replaced Weaver and induced a ground ball from Bryan Anderson that forced Rasmus out at second. Steve Bray relieved Stetter after his only batter faced and had an inning he probably would like to forget.

Pinch-hitter Nick Stavinoha singled off Bray to score Freese from third with the tying run, and Anderson scored to give the visitors a 5-4 advantage when Jarret Hoffpauir reached on a fielder’s choice to shortstop Adam Heether. Heether made the stab up the middle but second baseman Iribarren could not handle his backhand toss, so all runners were safe on the play. Haerther followed with a single to left that scored Stavinoha from second, and the final run of the inning was scored after Bray gave up two straight walks to Mather and Phelps, with Hoffpauir scoring on the walk to Phelps.

Weaver (1-2), who took the loss, was charged with one of the runs on the inning, bringing his line to five earned runs over 6 1/3 innings pitched with five strikeouts. Bray pitched two more scoreless innings to bring his total to two runs over 2 1/3 innings.

Nashville made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth when pinch-hitter Mel Stocker started a rally with a double to center field for the Sounds against Redbirds reliever Jason Motte. Iribarren followed with a RBI single to score Stocker and moved to second after Crabbe hit another single in the next at-bat. Nelson added another single to score Iribarren and put two men on base for the red-hot Branyan, but he popped out to third for the second out. The Sounds were unable to capitalize on the opportunity when Ron Flores was brought in to relieve Motte and struck out Vinny Rottino on a 3-2 pitch to earn the save.

For the game, Nashville left nine men on base and had their 22-game stolen base streak snapped when Eric Munson was caught at home on a double steal attempt.

The Sounds will finish their eight-game homestand on Thursday night against the Redbirds at 7:00 p.m. at Greer Stadium. Southpaw Chris Narveson (2-5, 4.26) will start for Nashville against righty Blake Hawksworth (4-1, 6.90) for Memphis.

Related Links:
 • Box Score
 • AUDIO: Russell Branyan Two-Run HR