Sounds Squander Eight-Run Lead Falling to Gwinnett

NASHVILLE - Nashville blew their largest lead of the season with a 13-10 loss to the Gwinnett Stripers Friday night at First Horizon Park. The Sounds poured on all 10 runs in the first three innings of the game, highlighted by a Luke Adams grand slam in the bottom of the third inning. Gwinnett then scored 11 unanswered runs over the final five innings as the Sounds saw their lead vanish in the ninth.

The Sounds plated a run in the first inning as Luis Lara got on base with a one-out base hit. Tyler Black ripped a triple down the first base line, his third of the season, and scored Lara for the 1-0 Nashville lead. Adams then scored Black and grew the lead to two runs on a sacrifice fly. The Stripers answered right back with two runs of their own in the top of the second inning on three singles and a ground out that tied the game at 2-2.

Triple Black as we've always called him pic.twitter.com/geUIFwDYVm

— Nashville Sounds (@nashvillesounds) June 26, 2026

Nashville blew the game wide open scoring eight runs in the bottom of the third inning as Freddy Zamora led off the frame with a double. After Greg Jones drew a walk, Lara ripped an RBI-single into left field and gave the Sounds the lead back 3-2. Black then drew the second walk of the frame and set up Adams to obliterate his fifth grand slam of his career into left field for a 7-2 lead. The Sounds continued to add damage as Jeferson Quero lined his second triple of the season into right center field. Brock Wilken ripped an RBI-single into left field and scored Quero for the six-run lead. Luis Matos added the cherry on top with a two-run moon shot to left center and gave Nashville the 10-2 lead at the end of three.

It's a home run party, but Gwinnett's invite was lost in the mail pic.twitter.com/e4MvFcl8wp

— Nashville Sounds (@nashvillesounds) June 27, 2026

Gwinnett stormed back scoring 11 unanswered runs in the last five innings of the game. Tyson Hardin got the start for the Sounds and worked an efficient four innings before getting into trouble in the top of the fifth inning. Hardin allowed four runs off of four hits and issued a walk in the frame with the Stripers inching closer to Nashville's lead. Kaleb Bowman entered the game in the top of the sixth inning and worked in a 1-2-3 frame. Bowman came out for the top of the seventh and eighth, allowing three runs as the score was 10-9 still in favor of the Sounds.

Mark Manfredi issued a leadoff single to Jim Jarvis and a walk to Brett Wisely to begin the top of the ninth inning. After Easton McGee issued a walk to Brewer Hicklen and loaded the bases, Aaron Schunk scored Jarvis on a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 10. José Azócar hit an RBI-single on a soft fly ball to center field and scored Wisely to take a 11-10 Stripers lead. Ben Gamel reached base after Matos dropped a routine fly ball, and crossed home Hicklen and Azócar for the three-run lead by Gwinnett. The Sounds had one last opportunity to return the favor in the bottom of the ninth inning but were shut down in 1-2-3 fashion, dropping game four with a 13-10 final.

The Sounds and the Stripers continue their series on Saturday night with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Right-hander Gerson Garabito (1-1, 6.43) will get the start in game five of the series.

POSTGAME NOTES:

LUKE NUKE: Brewers no. 11-rated prospect Luke Adams hit his 10th home run of the season and eighth in the month of June with a grand slam in the bottom of the third inning. Adams becomes the third Nashville player to record multiple grand slams this season, joining Eddys Leonard and Akil Baddoo. Adams collected his first Triple-A hit with a grand slam on April 3 vs. Charlotte with Friday night being his fifth career slam. His eight home runs this month are the most for a Nashville player since Brewer Hicklen also hit eight in May of 2024. Adams is hitting .277 (18-for-65) with 12 XBH and 19 RBI in 19 games played in June. Friday night was his second 5-RBI night in his last five games played after setting his career-high last Sunday in Memphis with his three home run performance.

Another Luke Nuke but this one is GRAND pic.twitter.com/BsZqVQy1BS

— Nashville Sounds (@nashvillesounds) June 27, 2026

THREE PLEASE: Brewers no. 5-rated prospect Luis Lara finished Friday night 3-for-5 with a RBI and two runs scored. It marked his 12th 3+ hit game this season as the 21-year-old is hitting .328 (86-for-262) with 18 XBH and 34 RBI. Lara is hitting .563 (9-for-16) this week against the Stripers. Five of his 12 3+ hit games this season have now come against Gwinnett, and he is hitting .464 (26-for-56) in 15 games played versus the Stripers this season.

STARTING NINE: All nine Nashville starters recorded a hit for just the second time this season. It also happened on April 10 in Gwinnett when the Sounds also recorded 12 hits in a loss to the Stripers. Luis Lara and Luke Adams provided multi-hit games on Friday night. Lara earned his 22nd multi-hit game of the season while Adams chipped in with his seventh. Six of the nine Nashville starters from Friday night were also in the lineup during the April 10th game.

HOMER HAPPY: With another two home runs hit on Friday night, the Sounds are up to 32 home runs already in the month of June with four games remaining. The Sounds hadn't hit more than 23 in each of the first two full months of the season. Dating back to 2005, this is the 26th time the Sounds have recorded 32+ home runs in a single month. The team clubbed 47 in August of 2019 to set the mark for the most home runs hit during the span.

FUN TIL IT WASN'T: Nashville jumped out to a 10-2 lead after plating eight runs in the bottom of the third on Friday night. The eight-run frame is tied for the most runs the Sounds have pushed across in any single inning this year. They also scored eight in the first inning against Iowa on May 16. Each of the first eight Nashville batters reached base during the big inning. Six of the 12 total hits for the game came during the bottom of the third before being held to just four hits over the final six innings. Gwinnett scored 11 unanswered runs as Nashville doubled their previous largest blown lead of the season. Nashville hadn't blown more than a four-run lead in any game since surrendering six unanswered runs on Opening Night in Norfolk on March 27 when the Tides scored six in the bottom of the seventh before the game was called due to rain. Friday night was the first loss of the season when the Sounds entered the ninth inning with a lead, entering the night a perfect 35-0 on the season. The eight-run blown lead in a loss in the biggest since May 11, 2014, at Iowa when the Sounds were up 8-0 entering the bottom of the second inning. The Sounds went on to lose that game 12-11 after allowing eight unanswered beginning in the sixth inning.