NASHVILLE – The Nashville Sounds used an eighth-inning rally to take care of business against the Indianapolis Indians, highlighted by Luis Matos' 4-RBI night Sunday night at First Horizon Park. The 6-4 win earned the series split against the number one team in the International League.
The Indians got the scoring started in the top of the third inning as they got on base early with a leadoff single and a walk. Tyson Hardin retired the next two batters, but Johnathan Rodriguez ripped an RBI-single to right field and drove home Derek Berg and Mitch Jebb for the 2-0 Indy lead. The Sounds answered with a run of their own in the bottom half of the third as Ethan Murray and Eduardo Garcia hit back-to-back singles to open the frame. Two at-bats later, Bo Naylor lined an RBI-single into left field and scored Murray for the one run deficit.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Nashville gained its first lead of the night as Akil Baddoo reached base on an Indy fielding error. Matos then obliterated a 438-foot two-run blast to left field to give the Sounds a one-run lead, which is the second-furthest homer by a Sounds hitter this season behind Eddys Leonard (445 ft). In the following frame, Naylor crushed a solo shot to right field and extended the Sounds lead to two runs.
Hardin finished his night tossing 3.2 innings of work, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out five Indy batters before Joel Kuhnel entered the game and secured the final out of the fourth. Kuhnel came out for the fifth inning and worked around a walk, retiring 4-of-the-5 batters he faced. Tate Kuehner entered the ball game for the first time since May 20. Indianapolis tacked on two runs in the top of the seventh inning and tied the game at four. Kuehner allowed two unearned runs to cross on three hits, while striking out five batters through the eighth.
Will Childers made his 31st appearance of the season for the Sounds with one out in the eighth inning and shut down the next two batters, including striking Derek Berg out. After three scoreless frames by the Sounds, they regained the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning as Blake Burke led off the frame with a single. Three at-bats later, Brock Wilken drew a walk and put Burke in scoring position. Matos lined a two-run triple into the right field corner and scored Burke and Wilken for the two-run lead. Jared Koenig entered the game in the top of the ninth inning and closed it down with a 1-2-3 frame for his first save since September 18, 2025.
With Monday off, the Sounds will hit the road for the next two weeks, starting off in Norfolk to take on the Tides (Triple-A, Baltimore Orioles) in a six-game series from August 18-23 before heading off to Jacksonville. Nashville will return home for the first of two final series at First Horizon Park beginning on September 1.
POSTGAME NOTES:
SECOND TIME THROUGH: Nashville's run in the bottom of the third inning was their 97th of the season in the third inning; the most of any inning through 121 games. Their next largest run output by inning has been the 1st (79 runs). Nashville owns a +31-run differential in the third inning of games this year.
INDY ARTIST: Brewers no. 8-rated prospect Tyson Hardin made his second start of the week against Indianapolis in Sunday's series finale at First Horizon Park. Hardin finished his outing working 3.2 IP with five hits allowed, two runs, a walk, and five strikeouts. The five strikeouts were the most in any of his eight Triple-A starts of 4.0 IP or less. The right-hander produced three different starts for Double-A Biloxi of 4.0 IP or less with 5+ strikeouts to begin the year, including nine strikeouts over 4.0 IP on April 23 vs. Rocket City (LAA). Hardin has the most strikeouts in the Brewers farm system this year with 120 through 104.2 IP and also leads in organization in GS (23).
MIGHTY MATOS: Luis Matos ended a 26-game homerless drought with his two-run, go-ahead home run in the bottom of the fourth inning on Sunday. His 438-foot blast on Sunday was the second-furthest HR hit by a Nashville player this year behind Eddys Leonard (445 ft, 5/20 @ DUR) and the second-furthest tracked home run of his professional career. His furthest was a 442-foot bomb on June 15, 2024, against the Reno Aces in Reno. His last trip around the bases came back on July 7 on the road in Charlotte. Sunday was the fifth home run in 65 games played for the Sounds. It was his first go-ahead home run with the Sounds, who have 36 total go-ahead home runs this season led by Brock Wilken (8). Go-ahead home runs have accounted for 31% of the total home runs hit this season for Nashville. Matos is up to 88 career home runs in 701 career games.
NAY DAY: After having Saturday night off following his multi-HR performance on Friday, Bo Naylor didn't miss a beat with his third home run over an eight at-bat span as he launched a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning Sunday. Naylor becomes the eighth different Nashville player to homer in back-to-back games this season and the first since Jeferson Quero on June 20 at Memphis and June 23 vs. Gwinnett. It's the 10th time in Naylor's professional career with home runs in consecutive games and his first since April 29-30 of last season with Cleveland against Minnesota. He homered in a career-best three straight games during the 2021 season with Double-A Akron from July 9-15, 2021. Five of his back-to-back games with a homer have been in Major League games between 2023-2025. He now has three in Triple-A, and two in Double-A.
TATE OF THE UNION: Left-hander Tate Kuehner was activated off the 60-day Injured List prior to the series finale on Sunday against Indianapolis and made his first appearance in a game since May 20 on the road in Durham for the Sounds. The southpaw worked 2.1 IP and surrendered three hits with two unearned runs against him with a walk and five strikeouts. Kuehner appeared in nine games (8 GS) prior to landing on the Injured List for Nashville and has now worked in 12 career Triple-A games since an August promotion from Double-A Biloxi last season. At the time of his promotion to Nashville last year, Kuehner led the farm system with 116 strikeouts, ranked second in BAA (.228), third in ERA (2.46), and fourth in IP (106.0). Since making his professional debut in 2023, he ranks sixth in strikeouts (279) and seventh in IP (270.1) among all minor league pitchers in the farm system.