Darryn Strickland at Thunder Radio studios

Coming up this fall here on Thunder Radio, we will debut a new weekly report updating Manchester Youth Football League(MYFL) action.  Each Monday, Darryn Strickland will bring you the report as part of our daily sportscast.  Darryn, who was named the Titans Junior Broadcaster of the year for 2016, serves as the public address announcer for all the MYFL games at Dyer-Bouldin Field.  Darryn will write, record and produce a 1 minute segment running down the weekend’s action.

Darryn, the son of Danny and Janine Strickland, will be a 7^th grader this season at Westwood Middle School and a lineman on this year’s Westwood Rockets football team.  Strickland became a local celebrity late last year when he got the opportunity to meet the Titans broadcast team of Mike Keith and Frank Wychek on December 11th.  Darryn called his time with the two as the highlight of his day at Nissan Stadium.  “(Keith) was super nice and spent about 20 minutes just talking with me and sharing ideas about doing the PA” said Darryn.

In anticipation of Darryn’s new role here for Thunder Radio Sports, Darryn will be the guest host on Saturday’s Coffee Coaches Show here on Thunder Radio.  The Coffee Coaches Show is broadcast live each and every Saturday morning at 10 AM from the showroom of Al White Ford/Lincoln.  Darryn will talk to football coaches representing Westwood Middle School, Coffee County Central High School and the Manchester Youth Football League.  The Coffee Coaches Show is heard exclusively here on Thunder Radio.

Renato Nuñez of the Nashville Sounds (Photo courtesy of MiLB.com)

Nashville Sounds’ infielder Renato Nuñez was named as a participant in the 2017 Triple-A Home Run Derby scheduled for Monday, July 10 in Tacoma, Washington, Triple-A Baseball announced Wednesday.

Nuñez joins Dan Vogelbach (Tacoma) and Christian Walker (Reno) of the Pacific Coast League, along with the International League’s Bryce Brentz (Pawtucket), Danny Hayes (Charlotte), and Richie Shaffer (Columbus) as sluggers to participate in the annual home run hitting contest.

Nuñez hit his Pacific Coast League-leading 22nd home run in Colorado Springs on Tuesday. He’s tied with Scott Kingery of the Philadelphia Phillies organization for the most in Minor League Baseball.

The 23-year-old hit four home runs in April before blasting nine in the month of May. He launched eight in June before his first of July in last night’s game. Nuñez homered in three consecutive games from May 1-3, and again from May 18-20.

Six of his 22 home runs have either tied the game or given the Sounds a lead. Nuñez has 14 solo homers, six two-run shots, and a pair of three-run blasts.

The derby takes place two days prior to the 30th Annual Triple-A All-Star Game and will begin at 5:05 p.m. CST and will be steamed live on MiLB.TV.

Asked when he had last seen a team hit like the Astros had during their two-day stay at SunTrust Park, Braves All-Star outfielder Ender Inciarte said after Wednesday night’s 10-4 loss to the American League juggernaut, “I’ve never seen a team like that.”

The Astros (58-27) banged out 16 hits and became the second team on record to tally seven doubles in three consecutive games. The only other team to achieve that feat since at least 1913 was the 1999 Indians. Houston improved to 31-9 on the road and has outscored the opposition 277-170 away from home.
“I thought we swung the bats extraordinarily well,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “We also pitched well. They had the one big inning today, but we played as complete a baseball as we could do. There’s always ways to get better, but when we get going on all cylinders it’s always fun to watch.”
Jaime Garcia delivered a two-out, two-run single in Atlanta’s game-tying four-run fifth inning, but the Braves left-hander surrendered 10 hits, including Norichika Aoki’s leadoff double in Houston’s decisive three-run seventh. George Springer capped a three-hit night by greeting Jason Motte with a go-ahead single. Jose Altuve followed by securing his own three-hit performance with an RBI double.
“They just keep coming at you,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “They don’t let you get away with anything. The two-out RBIs. The two-strike, two-out RBIs. They’re a really good ballclub.”
Freddie Freeman’s first-inning single accounted for the only hit Astros starter Joe Musgrove surrendered before allowing four straight two-out hits in the fifth inning. Garcia might have restored some of his trade value as he pitched more effectively than he had in his past three starts. But his effort was not enough to tame a potent Astros offense that has tallied a double-digit run total three times as the team has won six of its past seven games.
“That’s a tough game,” Garcia said. “It’s just a lineup that is pretty hot right now. You can’t make one mistake. I let my teammates down. I didn’t get the job done again.”
Jake Marisnick, Josh Reddick (two), Alex Bregman, Aoki, Altuve and Marwin Gonzalez all recorded doubles for Houston. The Astros have 49 hits and 34 runs in their past three games.
“With Inciarte’s homer, the game was tied,” Altuve said. “We came back with some runners on base and George and Reddick were able to swing the bat really good tonight and drive in some runs.”
Garcia was cruising after allowing a run in the first until Marisnick doubled with one out in the fifth. Springer and Altuve delivered consecutive two-out singles to keep the inning alive for Reddick, who capped the key frame by lacing an elevated 2-2 slider off the right-field wall for a two-run double. Reddick has hit .375 with two outs and runners in scoring position.
Musgrove had retired 12 straight when he opened the bottom of the fifth with consecutive strikeouts of Nick Markakis and Matt Adams. But the righty then surrendered four straight hits, including Garcia’s two-run single, which deflected off third baseman Bregman before finding its way into the left-field grass. Inciarte followed with a game-tying two-run shot that snuck over the right-field wall and gave him a career-high seven homers.
Mike Foltynewicz (6-5, 3.83 ERA) will take the mound when Atlanta opens a four-game set at Nationals Park on Thursday at 6:05 p.m. CT. Foltynewicz carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning of his last start against Oakland but lost it on a home run to open the frame.

When it rains, it pours and while the Nashville Sounds weren’t in Music City for Wednesday night’s rain storms they found themselves under a storm of hits and runs from the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. The Sky Sox took game one 10-6 and game two 13-6.

Starting pitching struggled on the night for Nashville. Corey Walter and Dalton Sawyer combined to allow 17 runs on 17 hits in 5 1/3 innings. When all was said and done the Sky Sox tagged Sounds pitchers for 23 runs on 17 hits in the two games including a pair of inside-the-park home runs.

The Sky Sox took game one 10-6 on the back of an eight-run third inning. That frame was the worst inning of the season for the Sounds as the Sky Sox erupted for eight runs on nine hits as 13 batters came to the plate to take a 9-2 lead. During the inning Sky Sox second baseman Nate Orf rounded the bases with one swing of the bat and without the ball leaving the premises on an inside-the-park home run.

Mark Canha and Beau Taylor went yard in back-to-back at bats to trim the deficit to 9-5 in the fourth inning. For Taylor it was his first career home run at the Triple-A level. It was the fifth time this season the Sounds have posted back-to-back jacks.

Melvin Mercedes collected his first career Triple-A multi-RBI game with a pair of run-scoring singles in the opening game of the twin bill.
Game two did not go any better for the Sounds as they were pummeled 13-6.

In the second inning the Sounds plated four runs highlighted by a two-run double from Jaff Decker. Joey Wendle began the inning by recording his 93rd double in a Sounds uniform to bring him within one of tying the franchise record. He scored on a Matt McBride base hit.

The 4-2 lead for the Sounds was short-lived as the Sky Sox posted a half dozen runs in the third inning. Mauricio Dubon got the inning started with the second inside-the-park home run of the day for the Sky Sox. Brinson followed that up with a home run the more traditional way. Three straight walks issued by Sawyer aided Colorado Springs to set up a three-run triple from Kyle Wren.

Taylor was a bright spot for the Sounds who went 4-for-5 over the course of the two games with a home run and four runs scored. Nunez went 3-for-4 in game two and was a home run shy of the cycle.

The Sounds wrap up their four-game series with the Sky Sox on Thursday night. Right-hander Jesse Hahn (0-0, 0.00) starts for the Sounds against right-hander Paolo Espino (4-1, 3.26) for the Sky Sox. First pitch is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. CST.