Charlotte, North Carolina (State) – The Nashville Sounds (67-60, 29-23) fell behind by two runs early but used a strong fourth and sixth innings to beat the Charlotte Knights (58-67, 25-26) 12-2 on Wednesday night at Truist Field.
Trailing 2-0 in the fourth inning, the Sounds swarmed Charlotte reliever Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa, scoring four runs on four hits. Brewer Hicklen opened the scoring with an RBI groundout, followed by singles from Patrick Dorrian and Isaac Collins that gave Nashville a 4-2 lead.
Nashville didn’t look back and tied the game in the sixth inning with six more runs. The Sounds played station-to-station baseball with four walks, including two by Owen Miller, a hit-by-pitch and a wild pitch in the inning.
Wes Clarke went all out with a sharp line drive to center field that scored two runs, and Brian Navarreto added his own RBI single. Nashville finished the inning with a comfortable 10-2 lead, which was more than enough thanks to an excellent performance from the pitchers.
Two Knights scored in the first inning against Carlos Rodriguez (8-8), but that was about it. Rodriguez settled in well and didn’t allow a single hit for the rest of his outing, including a streak of striking out 12 consecutive batters. He added six strikeouts in his fourth straight good start and earned his eighth win of the season.
All home runs count equally, even if they come from players in poor position. Brewer Hicklen found that out when he hit a two-run blast against Danny Mendick in the eighth inning for his second consecutive home run. Center fielders Tyler Black, Clarke and Hicklen combined for five runs and six RBIs in today’s game.
In later low-leverage roles, Tyler Jay and Elvis Peguero combined to make the final six outs without threatening the team, securing a dominant 12-2 victory and tying the current series at 1-1.
Notes after the game
- Brewer Hicklen (1-for-5, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI, 2 K) has now hit a home run in back-to-back games for the fourth time this season. Before the last two games, Hicklen struggled in August, posting a .169 batting average with 30 strikeouts in 77 at-bats. As of this publication, he is tied for sixth in the International League with 21 home runs and leads the league with 41 stolen bases.
- Carlos Rodriguez (7.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 6 K) earned his fourth consecutive quality start and now leads the team with nine on the season. He also matched a career-high seven innings pitched, which he achieved on May 27, 2023 against Montgomery. In August, he has a 2.37 ERA (30.1 IP/8 ER) with 30 strikeouts.
- Every Sounds player had either a hit or an RBI in today’s game. Isaac Collins, Vinny Capra, Wes Clarke and Patrick Dorrian all had three hits. Brewer Hicklen had three RBIs, Collins and Clarke added two each.
The Nashville Sounds are the Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and play at First Horizon Park. Season tickets for the 2025 season are now available.
For more information, call 615.690.4487 or email [email protected].
