NASHVILLE — The Nashville Sounds extended their win-streak to six consecutive games with a 12-1 blowout over the Iowa Cubs Saturday night at First Horizon Park in front of a sellout crowd. The offensive outburst was led by Eddys Leonard's first-inning grand slam and three-run blasts from top prospects Jett Williams and Cooper Pratt.
Nashville put up a monstrous first inning as Williams, Pratt and Luis Lara drew three consecutive walks to load the bases. Three at-bats later, Jeferson Quero drew the fourth walk of the frame and to get a run in. With the bases loaded still, Leonard crushed his second grand slam of the season, seventh homer overall, to left field and grew the lead to 5-0. The damage continued in the bottom of the first with Greg Jones getting hit-by-pitch, then Ramón Rodríguez singled into right field which set up Williams to club his fourth homer on the year with a three-run shot to left field and grow the large lead to 8-0.
The Sounds tallied yet another three-run inning in the bottom of the third inning as Jones reached base with a single. Two at-bats later, Williams drew the team's sixth walk of the game. Pratt ripped Nashville's second three-run long-ball for an 11-0 score. Meanwhile, Garrett Stallings put on another clinic of an outing as he tossed 6.2 scoreless innings, allowed four hits and struck out six I-Cubs batters, earning his second straight quality start.
Brought up from Low-A Wilson earlier on Saturday, Joshua Quezada made his first career Triple-A appearance in the top of the seventh inning and recorded the final out of the frame on a groundout. He then posted a 1-2-3 eighth before being relieved by JB Bukauskas, who was reinstated from the injured list and added to the roster earlier in the day as well. In the bottom of the eighth, the Sounds added a run of insurance as Rodríguez earned his second hit of the night. Two at-bats later, Pratt knocked in Rodríguez with an RBI-single into left field for Nashville's final run of the night and made it 12-0. The I-Cubs finally got on the board in the top of the ninth with two walks and a single from James Triantos for the 12-1 final.
The Sounds will conclude this week's series against the Iowa Cubs in Sunday's finale. First pitch is slated to begin at 1:05 p.m.
POSTGAME NOTES:
BACK TO PRATT: Brewers no. 4-rated prospect Cooper Pratt homered in back-to-back games for the first time in his professional career after his three-run homer off Tyler Ferguson in the third inning Saturday night. Pratt joined Luke Adams (4/3-5), Eddys Leonard (4/24-25), and Luis Lara (4/25-26) as the fourth Sounds player to homer in consecutive games this season. Over his last 20 games, Pratt is hitting .301 (22-for-73) with four home runs, four doubles, two triples, and 18 RBI with 15 walks and 15 runs scored.
SLAMI SAMMICH: Eddys Leonard is one of nine players in the minor leagues with multiple grand slams this season. Leonard gave Nashville a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning after clearing the bases off I-Cubs starter Vince Velasquez. Since the Sounds moved to First Horizon Park ahead of the 2015 season, he's the sixth Nashville player with multiple home runs in the same season. Leonard had just one career grand slam entering the year and now ranks sixth in all Triple-A with a 1.016 OPS and is eighth in SLG (.595). He is tied with Luis Lara for the team lead in HR with seven.
CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF: Jett Williams capped an 8-run first inning for Nashville with his fourth home run of the season and first since hitting a walk-off three-run shot to beat Norfolk on April 29 at First Horizon Park. The Brewers no. 3-rated prospect is hitting .313 (14-for-44) with four doubles, a triple, and a now a home run in 13 games in the month of May. The eight-run frame for Nashville was the most runs scored in any single inning this season and the most since also plating eight runs on April 7, 2024, against St. Paul.
BALL TILL YOU STALL: Garrett Stallings turned in his second straight scoreless outing and quality start on Saturday night. The right-hander worked a season-high 6.2 IP with six strikeouts and four hits allowed. The 6.2 IP is the most in a game for a Nashville pitcher this season and the most for Stallings in a start since working 7.0 IP on September 13, 2023, with Norfolk. Saturday night was his 20th career quality start and 12th of his Triple-A career. Stallings has yet to allow an earned run over his last 14.0 IP dating back to his start on May 2nd. During the stretch since allowing his last earned run, the former Tennessee Volunteer has allowed eight hits with 12 strikeouts and allowed five walks.