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Final: New Orleans (Marlins) 6, Nashville 5

Nashville Site Game Summary:
Link for Joe Koshansky photo, text follows --

Sounds Fall Again To Zephyrs, 6-5

METAIRIE, La. - The Nashville Sounds suffered a 6-5 loss to the New Orleans Zephyrs on Saturday evening at Zephyr Field and were eliminated from postseason contention later in the evening when the division-rival Memphis Redbirds swept a doubleheader.

With its fourth defeat in the last five contests, Nashville (73-69) dropped to three games behind first-place Memphis in the PCL American Conference Northern Division with only two games remaining for each club. The Redbirds took a pair of seven-inning contests from the Oklahoma City RedHawks to lock up the division crown.

Outfielder Corey Hart made his second rehab appearance for Nashville. He was hit in the shoulder by a pitch in the second inning then struck out swinging in his second plate appearance in the fourth. He played five-plus innings in right field before being removed as part of a double-switch in the bottom of the sixth inning.

First baseman Joe Koshansky put the visitors on top by a 1-0 count when he led off the second inning with an opposite-field solo homer to left off Z's starter Brian Lawrence, the slugger's team-leading 23rd roundtripper of the year.

Hart scored the club's second run of the inning when he was hit by a Lawrence pitch and later scored on Brendan Katin's double play groundout.

The Zephyrs rallied to tie the contest in the bottom of the frame. New Orleans first baseman Gaby Sanchez halved the Sounds' lead with a leadoff solo homer to left off Sounds starter Mike Jones, the infielder's 16th longball of the season. After Alejandro De Aza singled, Gookie Dawkins blooped a single to shallow left, where Katin came up firing to third and airmailed the bag to allow the tying run to come home.

Sounds second baseman Hernan Iribarren stifled the Z's attempt to take the lead later in the second when he gunned down Dawkins at the dish as he attempted to score from third on an Emilio Ontiveros grounder.

Sanchez gave New Orleans a 3-2 lead in the third with a sacrifice fly to the wall in right-center that plated David Matranga, who had singled off Jones earlier in the frame.

Nashville tied the contest at 3-3 in the top of the fifth when Jones helped his own cause by reaching on a one-out single to center then scored on Tike Redman's RBI single to right.

New Orleans pulled back in front in the home half of the fifth, rallying for three two-out runs against Jones to take a 6-3 advantage. De Aza drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk to force home John Raynor from third with the go-ahead run. Dawkins followed with a routine grounder to short which was misplayed by Adam Heether to allow two unearned runs to come plateward.

The Zephyrs' defense gave a run back to the Sounds in the top of the seventh when Dawkins muffed a throw while covering second base on a Redman fielder's choice grounder, allowing Patrick Arlis to score to make it a 6-4 contest.

Katin wrapped up the evening's scoring in the top of the ninth when he led off with his first home run in 134 at-bats, a solo shot to dead center off Z's reliever Matt DeSalvo. The tater, which pulled Nashville within a run at 6-5, was Katin's 21st of the season but just his second since the All-Star break.

DeSalvo recovered to retire the next three batters in order to preserve the victory and lock down his fourth save of the year.

Lawrence (7-4) earned the victory for New Orleans with a quality start, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out five batters in his six innings of work.

Jones (1-2) took the loss for Nashville after giving up six runs (three earned) on nine hits in his 5 2/3 innings of work.

The teams continue the series with another 6 p.m. CT meeting on Sunday evening. Left-hander Lindsay Gulin (6-10, 5.00) will man the bump for the Sounds to face New Orleans right-hander Chris Volstad (NR), who will make his first Triple-A appearance after spending all season with the Florida Marlins.

Nashville Box Score
Mat Gamel the only Sound to reach base twice; 13 baserunners allowed by Mike Jones in his 5.2 innings...

Nashville Game Log