JACKSONVILLE, FL - Six Nashville pitchers combined to hold the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp to 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and strand 10 on base in a 3-1 win to secure the second straight win and a series split on Sunday afternoon. Luke Adams homered for the second straight game and third time in the series and Eddys Leonard snapped a 2-for-32 span with ninth inning home run for an added bit of insurance.
Easton McGee started his second game of the series with three strikeouts and a walk over three hitless innings. It was the first time he has made consecutive starts since he started four straight games during a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League in 2024. After hitting a go-ahead 2-run home run in the ninth inning on Saturday night, Adams got Nashville on the scoreboard Sunday afternoon with his second home run in three at-bats. He deposited a 86 MPH cutter over the middle of the plate 402 feet beyond the left field wall to give the Sounds a 1-0 lead.
Jacksonville's first hit of the game was a RBI double off the bat of Agustin Ramirez to score Graham Pauley who was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the fourth in Mark Manfredi's first inning of work. Manfredi Sr. allowed a second double of his outing in the bottom of the fifth but stranded the runner in scoring position with a strikeout. Will Childers stranded the bases loaded after putting three on base with a one out single followed by back-to-back two out walks in the top of the sixth but worked a ground out to escape the jam. Nashville looked poised to take the lead with runners on second and third with one out after Jeferson Quero drew a leadoff walk in the top of the seventh and was followed aboard with a single for Brock Wilken. Leonard laid down a sacrifice bunt to push both into scoring position, but the Sounds followed with two straight outs as the game remained 1-1.
Cooper Pratt singled in the top of the eighth before swiping second base and advanced to third on a wild pitch with two outs. Adams drew a walk and the tandem executed a double steal to score Pratt and made it 2-1 with Adams moving to third on an error.
Jacob Waguespack tossed a scoreless home half of the eighth and stranded the potential go-ahead run on base after allowing a single and issuing a walk to consecutive batters with two outs. Leonard jumped on the second pitch he saw in his at-bat in the top of the ninth to snap out of a 2-for-32 span at the plate over his last 10 games with his team-leading ninth home run of the season to give Nashville a two-run cushion heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Kaleb Bowman struck out the first batter he faced and got Andrew Pintar to ground out for two quick outs in the inning. Pauley added his second hit of the day for Jacksonville with a hit into the right field corner but was thrown out at second base attempting to stretch his single into a double to end the game and secure the win for Nashville.
Following an off-day on Monday, the Sounds will begin a six-game series at First Horizon Park against the Durham Bulls on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
POSTGAME NOTES:
POWER HOUR: Luke Adams hit his second home run over a three-at-bat span with his fourth-inning solo shot to give Nashville a 1-0 lead on Sunday. His three go-ahead home runs on the season are tied for the most on Nashville's roster along with Eddys Leonard. Adams is the first Sounds player to homer in back-to-back games multiple times this season after also leaving the yard in consecutive games on April 3-5 vs. Charlotte. Over his last nine minor league games, Adams is hitting .300 (9-for-30) with six home runs and a double. It's the 10th time in his minor league career with home runs in back-to-back games including hitting a home run in three straight games June 5-7 last season with Double-A Biloxi. June has been good to the Brewers' no. 11-rated prospect who has hit 13 of his 42 career home runs in the month of June for his career.
STEADY EDDYS: Eddys Leonard clubbed his team-leading ninth home run of the season with a ninth-inning solo blast on Sunday. It was his first home run since May 20 on the road in Durham. Leonard entered his ninth inning at-bat just 2-for-33 over his last 10 games since hitting his last home run. Despite not having an RBI or XBH during his quiet nine-game stretch, Leonard is remains tied for the team-lead in RBI along with Jeferson Quero at 34 after his home run on Sunday and has five more XBH than anyone on the Sounds roster along with the team lead in doubles (12) despite not hitting one over his last 12 games.
SUNDAY SPLIT: The Sounds won two straight to secure the series split in Jacksonville and avoid dropping the first series since April 21-26 in Charlotte. The Sounds were able to keep pace in the standings with Rochester and Memphis, who also each won on Sunday. Nashville enters the final 12 games of the first half in a tie with Memphis and 0.5 GB Rochester. The Sounds and Memphis will close out the first half of the International League schedule against one another June 16-21 at AutoZone Park. In the two wins over the Jumbo Shrimp over the weekend, Nashville pitching held Jacksonville to 1-for-17 with runners in scoring position and stranded 20 base runners.