NASHVILLE (SportsTicker) – Elieser Hernández tossed 5.1 scoreless innings as the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp recorded their Triple-A-best 12th shutout in a 4-0 blanking of the Nashville Sounds on Friday from First Horizon Park.
FILE photo by Jim Brady/SportDay
Hernández (4-2) fanned eight in his 5.1 frames. His only trouble came in the sixth inning with Jacksonville (75-63) ahead 2-0. Nashville’s (83-55) Sal Frelick and Esteury Ruiz singled before Brice Turang walked to load the bases with nobody out.
Hernández struck out Jon Singleton looking before exiting after throwing 95 pitches. George Soriano came on and got Joey Wiemer to hit into a double play to escape the jam without any damage.
Soriano worked 2.2 frames before yielding to Eli Villalobos, who pitched a scoreless ninth to seal the shutout victory.
Jacksonville got on the board in their first at-bats. Erik González walked against Sounds starter Robert Gasser (1-1) to lead off the ballgame. After moving to second on a ground out, González scored on a base hit from Jesús Sánchez, who now has seven hits in the last two games.
With the same score, Victor Victor Mesa led off the fifth with a base hit. He stole second before Luis Aviles Jr. drew a walk. After a pair of outs, Mesa stole third before Bryson Brigman walked. A passed ball brought in Mesa to make it 2-0.
The Jumbo Shrimp added some insurance in the seventh. González singled and Brigman walked to begin the frame. Sánchez followed by lacing an RBI single. Willians Astudillo added a sacrifice fly for the game’s final margin at 4-0.
LHP Braxton Garrett (2-2, 3.07 ERA) starts in Saturday’s 8:05 p.m. ET contest for Jacksonville against Nashville RHP Caleb Boushley (11-2, 3.62 ERA). Coverage begins at 7:50 p.m. ET on ESPN 690 and ESPN690.com.