JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Graham Pauley’s (4) three-run home run off Will Childers (L, 0-1) in the bottom of the eighth inning proved to be the difference in the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp’s 4-3 comeback win over the Nashville Sounds in front of 6,408 fans at VyStar Ballpark.
Once Pauley’s bomb flipped the score to 4-2 Jacksonville (35-26), reliever Jack Ralston (W, 3-1) yielded a solo home run in the top of the ninth to Nashville (36-25) first baseman Brock Wilken (3) to bring the final margin to 4-3 before finishing off the game with a strikeout.
Jacksonville starting pitcher Bradley Blalock breezed through 3.2 innings of no-hit ball before running into trouble with two outs in the fourth. Back-to-back walks to Akil Baddoo and Jeferson Quero, followed by a successful double steal, set up Luis Matos, who singled to left to drive both runners home and give Nashville a 2-0 lead.
The Jumbo Shrimp cut the lead to one in the bottom of the seventh inning. Andrew Pintar led off the frame with a base hit and stole second. A pair of groundouts, the latter of which came from Gage Miller, plated Pintar to bring the Nashville lead to 2-1 and set the stage for Jacksonville’s three-run eighth.
The series continues Saturday at 6:35 p.m. with Jacksonville right-hander Karson Milbrandt (0-0, 0.00) scheduled to make his Triple-A debut opposite Nashville righty Garrett Stallings (3-2, 3.80).
Coverage begins at 6:20 p.m. on Bally Live, MLB.tv, MiLB.tv, ESPN 690 and espn690.com.
Gates open at 5 p.m. and the first 2,000 fans through the Main Gate on Georgia St. will receive a Jacob Berry Bobblehead Giveaway, presented by VyStar Credit Union & Rolland Reash Plumbing (**1 giveaway per person, not per ticket). On **Viva Las DUUUVAL night at VyStar Ballpark, the Jumbo Shrimp will relive their 2025 Triple-A National Championship win in Las Vegas.
ABOUT THE JUMBO SHRIMP: The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins and compete in the International League. The 2025 International League and Triple-A National Champions, the Jumbo Shrimp call VyStar Ballpark home for baseball but also a wide variety of additional community focused events with a goal of providing Affordable, Family, FUN to Northeast Florida. Winners of many marketing and sales awards and recognition since the team was rebranded prior to the 2017 season, the Jumbo Shrimp continually lead the state of Florida in attendance across all minor league professional sports organizations.