Jacksonville takes three games to one series lead
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. –The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp used a pair of walk-off victories to take down the Nashville Sounds in a doubleheader sweep Friday, winning 3-2 in game one and taking game two by a 6-5 final.
The Jumbo Shrimp (36-32) have now won three of the first four games against Nashville (41-28) in the series, and take aim at a series win tomorrow, in what would be their first since June 1-6 at Gwinnett, where they won five of six.
Game 1:
Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, Joe Dunand led off the frame with a single against starter Thomas Jankins to chase him from the contest. Luke Barker (loss, 4-2) struck out the first two batters he faced, but then Brian Navarreto cranked a two-run home run to left field to lift Jacksonville to a 3-2 win. It was Navarreto’s fifth homer of the season, and his first walk-off home run since May of 2017, when he was with the Fort Myers Miracle.
Nashville struck first in the top of the second inning. Tim Lopes got the inning started with a leadoff double. Daniel Robertson then hit a single, putting runners on the corners with nobody out for the Sounds. A couple baters later, the pitcher Jankins laid down a safety squeeze up the first base line, scoring Lopes and giving the Sounds a 1-0 lead. The next batter, Pablo Reyes hit an RBI single into left field, which brought in Robertson and put Nashville up 2-0.
Corey Bird got a run back in the bottom half of the inning with a leadoff homer to right field. It was Bird’s sixth homer of the season, and his second in the last week.
Brandon Liebrandt worked five innings in his start for the Jumbo Shrimp, giving up two runs on seven hits. He walked three and struck out three, but did not factor in the decision. Tommy Eveld (win, 3-1) retired six of the seven batters he faced, including a pair of strikeouts.
Game 2:
With the score tied at five in the bottom of the seventh inning, Bird jumpstarted the Jumbo Shrimp offense with a single to left-center. Bryson Brigman reached on a bunt single, and two batters later, Lorenzo Quintana was hit by a pitch to load the bases against Eric Yardley (loss, 1-1). With the Sounds playing a five-man infield, Zack Zehner chopped a game winning single through the right side to complete Jacksonville’s second walk-off win of the night, a 6-5 victory.
The Jumbo Shrimp trailed 3-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning against Nashville starter Andy Otero. Brian Miller doubled down the left field line and Tevin Mitchell followed by working a walk to end the day for the Sounds’ starter. Patrick Weigel then issued a walk to pinch-hitting Tristan Pompey, and two batters later, Justin Twine lined a triple to straight away center field to clear the bases and put Jacksonville in front, 4-3. Lorenzo Quintana followed with an RBI triple of his own to push the Jumbo Shrimp lead to 5-3.
The Sounds tied the score in the seventh. Weston Wilson reached on an infield single, and Pablo Reyes followed with a walk. Two batters later, Dustin Peterson singled to load the bases. With two outs, Zach Green came through with a two-run single up the middle to even the score at 5-5 against Colton Hock (win, 1-1).
Jacksonville grabbed an early lead in the first inning. With one out Twine doubled to right, and Quintana followed with a double to right-center to put the Jumbo Shrimp ahead, 1-0.
Nashville responded in the second with a two-run homer from Troy Stokes Jr.
Game four of the series is set for 6:35 p.m. on Saturday when Jumbo Shrimp righty Edward Cabrera (0-1, 12.00) squares off with Nashville right-hander Alec Bettinger (1-2, 2.78) on the hill. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. for the club’s annual Salute to the Negro Leagues as the Jumbo Shrimp take the field as the Jax Red Caps presented by Florida Blue and VyStar Credit Union. The first 2,000 fans through the gates will receive a Red Caps fedora courtesy of Florida Blue.
The Jumbo Shrimp will also celebrate HBCU’s at the ballpark in addition to it being NPHC Greek Night. Coverage begins at 6:20 p.m. on ESPN 690 as well as online at espn690.com, MiLB.tv, and the MiLB First Pitch app.
ABOUT THE JUMBO SHRIMP: The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp offer affordable family fun at 121 Financial Ballpark. Their inaugural season garnered the Southern League’s Don Mincher Organization of the Year, Promotional Trophy and Jimmy Bragan Executive of the Year, won by general manager Harold Craw. The club added its second Promotional Trophy in three years following the 2019 season. The 2021 season marks the return of Triple-A baseball in Jacksonville. To experience the excitement with the terrific value of ticket and group options, call the Jumbo Shrimp at (904) 358-2846 or visit www.jaxshrimp.com.
