By Ron Wynn
NASHVILLE, TN — After completing another homestand, the Nashville Sounds hope to take the bulk of a six-game road series against Gwinett that began Tuesday night. Nashville began the week with a 33-19 record, good for second place in Triple A East’s Southeast Division, two and a half games behind first place Durham. They have won six of their last 10 games, and they concluded their last six game home stand against Louisville Sunday with a 9-3 victory.
The July 4 game attracted the sixth largest crowd in Sounds’ history at First Horizon Park, as 11, 686 saw them get a big game from starter Bowden Francis, both on the mound and at the plate. Francis limited Louisville to one run on three hits over six innings while getting a pair of hits and earning his fourth win. Nashville got three runs batted in from Weston Wilson, who also had two hits. Both Jamie Westbrook and Cooper Hummel also continued streaks. Westbrook began the Gwinett series having reached base in 19 straight games. Over the stretch he’s had 29 hits in 75 times at bat, a .387 average. He had a double Sunday night. Hummel has reached base in 15 straight games, and hit .340 (18 hits in 53 times at bat) over that period. The Sounds have had also had strong starting pitching over their last nine games. Starters have posted a 1.81 earned run average and a 2-0 record. Relief pitchers Blaine Hardy and Eric Yardley contributed scoreless innings in Sunday night’s victory.
They return home July 13 to begin another six-game series with Louisville.