Adam Hall's Nashville Sounds reached the 20-win mark for the season, kicking off their May homestand with a narrow 5-3 victory over the visiting Norfolk Tides on Tuesday night at First Horizon Park. While Hall went 0 for 4 at the plate, the focus was also on Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff, who continued his rehab assignment with Nashville.
Woodruff pitched five innings in his third outing for the Sounds, allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out six. Despite not factoring into the decision, it was his longest outing and highest pitch count (83) during his rehab so far, with 60 of those pitches finding the strike zone. Norfolk managed to string together three hits in the third inning, with five of their seven total hits coming off Woodruff in the second and third frames. A trio of singles in the third led to the game's opening run for the Tides.
Nashville responded in the fourth, levelling the score when Raynel Delgado drew a bases-loaded walk, one of three walks issued by Norfolk starter Kyle Brnovich in the inning. After Woodruff struck out fellow rehabber Tyler O'Neill, Norfolk regained the lead in the fifth thanks to a solo home run from Samuel Basallo. Woodruff's outing concluded after seven hits, the last of which was erased by a caught stealing.
Norfolk held their 2-1 lead until a dramatic eighth inning. The Sounds loaded the bases once again on walks from Walter Pennington and capitalized with another bases-loaded walk to tie the game. Anthony Seigler then gave Nashville their first lead with an RBI single, and a subsequent wild pitch and passed ball extended their advantage to 5-2.
The ninth inning brought late drama. A leadoff single and two walks put the potential winning run at the plate for Norfolk with one out, bringing Jesus Liranzo to the mound for Nashville in a high-pressure situation. Norfolk managed to pull within two runs on a sacrifice fly, but Liranzo held his nerve, striking out the final batter to secure his first save of the season and a hard-fought victory for the Sounds.
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