Nashville Ends Gwinnett Series With InTENt

Nashville, TN – It was an early Father’s Day celebration at First Horizon Park on Sunday!

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And what a celebration it was! The Nashville Sounds had already taken 4 victories out of 5 meetups against the Gwinnett Stripers, and today was a very definitive nail in the series coffin as the home team obliterated the competition 10-4.

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The Sounds would get off to a fast start in the bottom of the 1st inning, but this was mostly due to the Stripers’ starting pitcher Hurston Waldrep. Drafted in 2023, Waldrep was ranked as the Atlanta Braves #2 prospect by MLB.com, and was the first Braves player to reach Gwinnett the year he was drafted. Unfortunately, he’s had a rough start so far with a record of 2-4 with Gwinnett and a 4.50 ERA. Yet, with each game there is a chance to turn things around... this would not be that chance.

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Nashville designated hitter Jeferson Quero was already on first base when Waldrep hit catcher Anthony Seigler with a pitch, advancing the two, who then advanced even further to third and second base respectively off a wild pitch. Infielder Bobby Dalbec came up to the plate and was walked. With only one out, Waldrep is looking at a steep hill to climb with bases loaded and Ernesto Martinez Jr up to bat. For the young pitcher, he needs to maintain composer. A strikeout would be good. A double play to get him out of this jam would be even better. What he absolutely does not want to do is walk in a run.

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Anyway, Waldrep walked in the first run for Nashville. That’s okay though. It’s just one run. Also, it’s Triple-A baseball. Part of the experience on this level is learning. Getting acclimated to a higher level of play. You dusted yourself off, gain knowledge from the mistake, and move on. The young pitcher watched Oliver Dunn make his way to the plate, bases still loaded, the one thing he does not want to do right now is wal.... and he walks Dunn. That brings in Seigler for the Sounds and a second unearned run.

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Freddy Zamora was up to the plate next. His connection with the ball would send it straight down the 3rd base line, resulting in a double for himself and a couple of RBIs as Dalbec and Martinez Jr made their way home. At this point, management decided that it was time to pull Waldrep, which makes sense. You want the kid to cut his teeth on tough situations, but you don’t want to see his confidence completely destroyed. This was the second start against the Sounds where Waldrep has not even made it through the first inning.

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Nashville would rack up two more runs in the inning, before a double play would stop the onslaught at 6-0. The top of the 3rd inning would see the Stripers attempt to make a dent in the point deficit. Outfielder Connor Capel would rocket to third base with a nice triple, followed by a sacrifice fly by Sandy Leon that would get him home. A solo homerun by David Fletcher in the top of the 6th would narrow margin to just 4 points behind the home team. Gwinnett had been successful at keeping the Sounds scoreless for a few innings, which gave the slightest glimmer of hope.

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Then the bottom of the 7th inning happened.

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Raynel Delgado had made it to first base, then stole second fairly easily (it wasn’t until I started attending six games a week that I noticed the frequency at which bases are stolen in this league! I mean, geez, it’s like all the time!). DH Jeferson Quero had a quick shot that made him an easy out at first, but that did allow Delgado time to make it to third. Instead of taking a pitch to the body, Seigler did the hitting this time, with a double that got Delgado home. Dalbec would add another RBI to his stats as a single got Delgado home.

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Next up was Martinez Jr. The previous night, he had cranked a ball deep in the center that felt destined for homerun territory but hit the barrier instead. Tonight, he connected sending the rock carreening to the same location, but this time he had the “I know that’s a homer” reminiscent of Barry Bonds in his prime. He very gleefully rounded the bases at a leisurely pace and put the Sounds into double digits.

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In the top of the 8th, Sandy Leon would strike again with the third overall homerun of the evening, which also marked the second time he got home teammate Connor Capel. This final push just wouldn’t be enough. The Stripers would end with a 10-4 loss and a 1-6 record for the series.

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The two teams will meet again in Nashville on 09/09.