Sounds Beat Durham Bulls In 5-4 Opening Day, Walk-Off Win

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Photo: Courtesy of the Nashville Sounds

The Nashville Sounds started their 2022 season with a 5-4 walk-off win over the Durham Bulls and a strong pitching performance from Ethan Small.

Tuesday night’s hero was centerfielder Corey Ray who made two huge defensive plays in the sixth inning and hit the walk-off RBI in the bottom of the ninth in front of 6,136 fans.

Small made his first career start on Opening Day, going 4.1 innings and giving up two hits and two runs, none of which were earned. The Milwaukee Brewers No. 7 prospect threw 82 pitching in his debut outing and struck out six batters.

The Sounds got things started offensively in the second inning when Jon Singleton hit a solo home run deep to center field to put Nashville up 1-0 early on. This home run came off of Singleton’s first at-bat in an affiliated baseball league since 2017.

Later in the fourth inning, Sounds second baseman Jamie Westbrooks hit a one out single. Brewers No. 4 prospect Brice Turang came to the plate and drove a triple to deep center, scoring Westbrook. A few pitches later, Turang came in to score on a Bulls wild pitch. The Sounds took a 3-0 lead. 

In the top of the fifth, Small gave up his first hit of the day after retiring seven straight batters. Later, Bulls third baseman Vidal Burjon got to first on a fielder’s choice and a Sounds error on third base. Then Miles Mastrobuoni hit an RBI single.

Nashville relief pitcher Connor Sadzeck replaced Small and proceeded to throw a wild pitch, allowing Burjan to score from third. He would work his way out of the inning but not before Durham cut the Sounds lead to 3-2.

For the next three innings, Nashville relief pitchers Sadzeck, Hobie Harris, Trevor Kelly and Angel Perdomo combined to throw 3.1 scoreless innings. The Sounds added one more run off of a Mario Feliciano RBI single in the seventh inning, giving the Sounds a 4-2 lead heading into the final inning.

Things did not go well in the top of the ninth for Nashville as right-handed pitcher Luke Barker gave up three hits and a walk against the first four batters he faced. The Bulls tied it up off of an RBI single and a sacrifice fly out to right field.

Just as everything went wrong in the top of the ninth for the Sounds, everything went right in the bottom of the inning.

Westbrook started things off with a leadoff single followed by a Turang walk. Feliciano also reached first on a walk, loading up the bases for Ray with only one out. Ray would hit a hard grounder up to first, forcing the first baseman, Jonathan Aranda, to overthrow to home.

Westbrook came in to score and the Sounds won in extremely exciting fashion.

The Sounds and Bulls play the rest of the six-game series through Sunday. Nashville’s Caleb Boushley will take the mound while Durham has yet to announce their starter. Both teams will drop their lineups later today.

Steven Boero
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