The Memphis Redbirds have a happy bus ride home on Sunday, after they defeated the Nashville Sounds (Triple-A affiliate, Milwaukee Brewers) 4-3 at First Horizon Park and split the six-game series at three games apiece.
The ‘Birds (4-8) scored the game’s first run in the second inning. With two runners on and one out, Dennis Ortega singled to left, scoring Lars Nootbaar to break a scoreless tie. Each of Ortega’s three hits this season have resulted in RBIs.
The game remained 1-0 until the fifth inning when the Redbirds put together another run. Evan Mendoza singled with one out and was driven home by a John Nogowski double. Nogowski had the best game of his rehab assignment with Memphis, going 3-4 at the plate.
Miles Mikolas made the third start of his rehab stint with the Redbirds and was absolutely outstanding. He went six scoreless frames, allowing just four hits and one walk. He retired 13 of the final 14 batters he faced.
However, Mikolas’ day didn’t end there. With two outs in the sixth, he launched a two-run home run at the plate to left field, scoring Matt Szczur in the process. Mikolas’ homer was the first for a Memphis Redbirds pitcher since Marco Gonzales hit one out on July 11, 2014.
The game got interesting in the bottom of the eighth, when Nashville loaded the bases with one out. But, fresh out of the bullpen, Connor Jones squelched the rally, as a groundout and strikeout only allowed a lone run to come across for the Sounds.
The game went from interesting to downright scary in the ninth. Nashville smacked three straight hits leading off the bottom of the ninth to turn a 4-1 game into 4-3. Corey Ray’s two-run single with no outs brought home Dylan Cozens and Tim Lopes. Then, Jesús Cruz came out of the bullpen and played hero. The right-hander induced a double play and a lazy flyout to end the game and send Memphis home happy.
The Memphis Redbirds are proud to welcome fans back to AutoZone Park this season. The team returns home next week from Tuesday – Sunday (May 18-23) for a six-game series against the Louisville Bats. Ticket information can be found at memphisredbirds.com.
