The sound of three Nashville home runs lingered in the ears of 11,068 fans Saturday night at First Tennessee Park as the Sounds topped the Albuquerque Isotopes 7-3. The Sounds (15-17) recorded their 13th multi-home run game of the season and took a 2-1 series lead over the Isotopes (18-17).

Pitching on a Major League rehab assignment as he recovers from offseason foot surgery, Daniel Mengden (0-1, 4.91) showed all the ingredients of a big league pitcher through three innings. The 24-year-old kept the Albuquerque hitters off balance the first time through the order but ran into trouble when the Isotopes saw him a second time. He finished his second outing of 2017 with five strikeouts in 3.2 innings.

For the second straight game the Sounds used the long ball to take a first inning lead. With two outs and a runner on first base, Matt Olson launched a towering home run just inside the right field foul pole. The home run was Olson’s sixth of the season. As if that home run was not impressive enough, in the bottom of the sixth inning he demolished a baseball beyond The Band Box onto the concourse in right field for his second two-run bomb of the evening. It was the eighth multi-home run game in Olson’s career.

Sandwiched between the two Olson dingers, Renato Nunez went yard for his team-leading ninth home run of the season. The home run for Nunez gave the Sounds a 4-0 lead that would not last long. Albuquerque’s Tony Wolters got a run back for the Isotopes in the top of the fourth inning as he crushed a payoff pitch into beyond the right field fence. After retiring the next two batters Mengden allowed a scorching double by Jordan Patterson off the right field wall, walked Derrik Gibson, gave up an RBI single to Domonic Smith, and issued a free pass to Rafael Ynoa before being pulled from the game.

The Sounds didn’t need just the long ball to score, however. Second baseman Joey Wendle doubled home the seventh run of the game for Nashville with two outs in the sixth inning after Matt Chapman had walked and swiped second base.

In the win, Sounds shortstop Franklin Barreto saw his career-long 12-game hitting streak come to an end. He did manage to draw a walk and score a run. Another pitcher on a rehab assignment from the A’s was John Axford. The right-hander pitched a flawless sixth inning and recorded a strikeout on just 12 pitches.

Raul Alcantara notched a three-inning save for the Sounds, the first of its kind for Nashville pitching this season. The 24-year-old allowed just a trio of singles in those three frames and struck out two.

The fourth and final game of the series is scheduled for Sunday afternoon at First Tennessee Park. Right-hander Paul Blackburn (1-3, 3.52) starts for Nashville while Albuquerque counters with right-hander Barry Enright (0-0, 0.00). First pitch is slated for 2:05 p.m.

They’ve started off with a bang. Again.

James Neal scored the game-winner in overtime and the Nashville Predators took a 1-0 series lead in the Western Conference Final with a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Friday night. The result marks the third consecutive series that Nashville has taken a 1-0 lead in this postseason, all on the road.

After Anaheim tied the contest at 2-2 in the third, it was Nashville who had a push in the extra session, ended by Neal’s fourth of the postseason, and his biggest yet.

“Game One is a huge opportunity to take home-ice advantage back, and that’s what we’re going out there trying to do,” Neal said. “That’s what we did tonight, and it was a great win.”

“The guys have played well in the first game,” Preds Head Coach Peter Laviolette said. “Tonight, for me, I thought was a game where we came out really well. I thought they pushed back, we pushed back against them, then they pushed back again on us and came back and tied it up. We didn’t play very well in the third, but in overtime we got back to our game and got back to playing again. There’s probably going to be a lot of that [in] this series, but tonight went our way in overtime.”

It was Anaheim who struck first in an opening period dominated by Nashville when Jakob Silfverberg flung a shot to the net that eluded Pekka Rinne. But after hitting the crossbar earlier in the period, Filip Forsberg evened the score when he tipped in a Matt Irwin point shot through the five hole of John Gibson. The goal was Forsberg’s fourth of the playoffs and one of 15 Preds shots in the first frame.

Nashville continued their pressure in the second, and a slick, cross-ice feed from Ryan Johansen made its way to Austin Watson who one-timed a shot toward the net, deflecting off Sami Vatanen and into the cage. It was Watson’s first career postseason tally and gave the Preds a 2-1 advantage after 40 minutes.

Anaheim controlled play in the third period, and Hampus LIndholm got the equalizer at 7:21 of the period, forcing the second overtime for Nashville of these playoffs.

Once the extra session started, the ice tilted in favor of the visitors once more, and after a scramble in front that almost ended it, P.K. Subban found Neal on the near side to seal the deal.

“It just shows a lot of character,” Rinne said of the win. “I thought that tonight we [had] a lot of chances… The guys stuck with it, and we’ve been doing that all playoffs. It’s a great sign for a team.”

As the pressure increases this spring, so does the play of James Neal.

After going scoreless in Round One against Chicago, Neal potted three against St. Louis in Round Two, and on Friday night in Anaheim, he scored what may be the biggest of his career.

“He’s one of those X-factors,” defenseman Mattias Ekholm said of Neal. “[He’s one of] the key guys that can really make a difference in the game and tonight he did. You just see what kind of shot he has and it’s nice to see him going at the right time.”

Just a shift before he ended it, Neal laid a thunderous hit on Anaheim’s Brandon Montour, one of two notable body checks he had on the night. And then, with a rocket to the twine, Neal gave his club a 1-0 series lead for the third consecutive time, just another chapter in what has been quite a story to this point for the Predators.

“Whoever’s picking us as the underdog, that’s fine,” Neal said. “We know what type of team we have tonight in our dressing room. We’ve built a team to try and win a Stanley Cup and we’re continuing to get better every series and every game.”

The underdog labels, the raucous crowds – none of it seems to matter to the hockey club from Nashville.

For three consecutive series in the 2017 postseason, the Predators have gone into a hostile barn – first in Chicago, then St. Louis and now Anaheim – and walked in the house without even thinking to wipe their feet at the door.

“You have to win four games, and we’re one down,” center Ryan Johansen said. “We’ll take it, get some confidence from it and we’re going go to bed feeling good about our game and ourselves. Then, just keep pounding away and trying to get better.”

This third series lead carries the most significance to date, as Nashville has never been to this point of the postseason. But now they find themselves owning a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference Final, and although they’re well aware of what’s still ahead of them, there’s nothing wrong with putting their feet up for the night.

“I think everyone in here is happy,” defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. “Everyone wants to enjoy it tonight, but we know tomorrow, it’s the rest button. We want to grab Game Two as well, and we have a lot of work to do from here. [But it’s] just a nice feeling right now. We have a long ways to go.”

Nashville has now gotten goals from 15 different players in the current postseason, a franchise record.

Matt Irwin, Mattias Ekholm and P.K. Subban all registered assists in Game One, now marking 19 of the last 21 Nashville goals that have had a defensemen factor in on the result. Overall, the Preds have now received 31 points (9g-22a) from the backend.

Game Two of the Western Conference Final is set for Sunday at 6:30 p.m. CT before the series shifts back to Nashville for Games Three and Four, beginning on Tuesday.

Catching up to the fastball was not a problem for Tyler Flowers on Friday night, as the 31-year-old catcher crushed a two-run homer and added a two-run single off heaters in the Braves’ 8-4 victory over Miami at Marlins Park, which snapped a six-game losing streak for Atlanta.

Flowers’ first homer of the season was a drive to left off Jose Urena’s 96.2-mph fastball, and in a six-run seventh inning, Atlanta’s catcher ripped Brian Ellington’s 97.6-mph fastball into right field for a two-run single.
“I was just trying to be ready because that guy throws hard,” Flowers said of his home run. “It was either going to be a heater or a slider. I was banking on the heater. I wasn’t sure how I hit it. I’m still not, honestly. I wasn’t sure if it had backspin, topspin or what. I knew I hit it hard. I was running hard to make sure I got [a double].”
The Braves provided plenty of support for Mike Foltynewicz to collect his first victory in seven outings (six starts). Foltynewicz gave up one run on six hits with four strikeouts over six innings.
“I knew the team needed a win,” Foltynewicz said. “We’re way better than what we are. I was just going to go out there and battle my butt off and try the best I could to get this win and get this thing turned around.”
Justin Bour, J.T. Realmuto and Derek Dietrich each homered for the Marlins, but the game slipped away in the seventh. Miami has now dropped 13 of its last 16. Per Statcast™, Bour’s blast projected at 384 feet with an exit velocity of 108.8 mph. The launch angle of 39 degrees elevated the drive into the second deck.
“It’s a part of growing up,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “It’s a tough time, but it’s really a time where you find out who you are. Are we going to keep playing, or are we going to cave in? To me, I like our club. I like our character, and in my mind, we’re not going to quit.”
Flowers was at the center of the Braves’ big innings, with his homer off Urena having an exit velocity of 109.2 mph, per Statcast™. And in the seventh, he led off and was hit by a Brad Ziegler pitch. Atlanta sent 11 to the plate in the inning, with Flowers capping the scoring on his two-run single.
“It’s really frustrating,” Ziegler said. “It’s probably one of the toughest sequences of my career. … Not that the whole two weeks has been great pitch after great pitch, but I feel like I’ve made some really good pitches in that stretch and don’t have anything to show for it.”
The fourth inning could have potentially gotten away from Foltynewicz, who entered the frame with a two-run lead. But Bour’s big blast cut that margin in half, and with one out, Urena singled. After allowing a hit to the opposing pitcher, the crowd was getting riled up. But Foltynewicz quieted the threat by getting Dee Gordon to bounce into a 3-6-3 double play.
“It was just really good to see him fight through some adversity and have to make pitches in tough situations,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “Everything was positive for me.”
Wild seventh breaks things open: A one-run Braves lead ballooned to a seven-run cushion in a wild seventh inning. The Braves capitalized on a hit batter and three walks. It started with Ziegler hitting Flowers with a pitch. Kyle Barraclough walked two, and Atlanta cashed in on a Barraclough balk and an error at third by Dietrich. Brandon Phillips knocked a two-run single, as did Flowers.
“It doesn’t seem like Zig can get a ground ball to somebody,” Mattingly said. “Just out of the reach of Dee and the one up the middle. So that’s going to change. That inning hurt us.”
Flowers’ two-run shot off Urena’s 96.2-mph fastball was the third-hardest pitch hit for a home run by a Braves player and the third-hardest pitch given up for a home run by a Marlins pitcher (each of the three surrendered by Urena) this year. The 109.2-mph exit velocity matched Freddie Freeman for the second-highest produced by a Brave on a home run this season. Matt Kemp produced a 111.4-mph exit velo on a home run hit off Matt Harvey on April 6.
With his pinch-hit opportunity in the eighth inning, Marlins outfielder Ichiro Suzuki appeared in his 2,528th Major League game, tying Ernie Banks for 49th all-time.
Julio Teheran will attempt to get back on track when Atlanta and Miami meet again at 6:10 p.m. CT on Saturday. Teheran has posted an 8.02 ERA over his past four starts, but most of his struggles have come at SunTrust Park. He has a 0.93 ERA in three road starts this season.

Early offense, silky smooth defense, and efficient pitching proved to be a winning formula for the Nashville Sounds Friday night as they edged the Albuquerque Isotopes 3-1. The Sounds offense did all its damage in the opening two innings and Daniel Gossett and the bullpen shut down the Isotopes to snap a four game slide.

Gossett had his finest performance of the season en route to his first victory of the campaign. The 24-year-old notched his first quality start by scattering five hits across six innings while he rung up seven hitters. The six innings worked were a season-high for the right-hander.

Franklin Barreto wasted no time extending his hitting streak to 12 games as he put an 0-2 pitch over the fence for a two-run home run in the first inning. It was the fifth long ball of the season for Barreto, who is now batting .338 for the season.

The Sounds added a little Parm to the winning recipe in the second inning as right fielder Chris Parmelee took Thad Weber deep and give the Sounds a 3-0 lead. It was Parmelee’s fourth home run of the season.

Albuquerque got a run back in the fourth inning when Derrik Gibson scorched a triple over the head of center fielder Ryan LaMarre. It was the only run Gossett and the bullpen would surrender all night.

Jaycob Brugman recorded his second three-hit game of the season while LaMarre reached base safely with a hit for the sixth consecutive game. For LaMarre it was his third straight game with multiple hits as he went 2-for-3 on the evening.

Defensively the Sounds turned two double plays and Matt Chapman made a diving catch.

Game three of the four-game series is scheduled for Saturday night at First Tennessee Park. Right-hander Daniel Mengden (0-1, 4.91) starts for Nashville while Albuquerque counters with left-hander Ryan Carpenter (2-1, 3.68). First pitch is slated for 6:35 p.m.

The 2017 season is the Sounds’ 40th in franchise history and their third as the Oakland Athletics’ top affiliate. Season ticket memberships are available now by calling (615) 690-4487 or by visiting www.nashvillesounds.com.

Needing a pair of wins after a long week of travel to Lawrenceburg, the Coffee County Lady Raider softball team ran out of steam on Thursday night as they fell in the district championship to Lawrence County. Despite a 3 run top of the 1st for the Lady Raiders, Coffee County saw Lawrence County roar back to win by a final score of 10 to 4.
Getting off to a good start was a key for the Lady Raiders and they did exactly that thanks to a 3 run home run off the bat of Haley Hinshaw. Lawrence County, however, responded with a 6 run outburst in the bottom of the inning highlighted by a grand slam. Coffee County was able to cut the deficit to 6 to 4 in the 5th inning with a run but Lawrence County tacked on 4 more runs to claim the District 8AAA title.
Haley Hinshaw was 3 for 3 in the game with 4 RBI to lead Coffee County in hitting as she was named the Crazy Daisies player of the game. Tori Bell was 2 for 3 on the game with a double. Katie Rutledge and Ashley Evans added singles. Coffee County will travel to District 7AAA champion Smyrna in the Region 4AAA semifinals scheduled for Monday at 7PM.  Thunder Radio will be on hand to bring you all the action.
Following the game, Coach Steve Wilder was named the District 8AAA coach of the year for the 2nd straight year. Katie Rutledge was named the District MVP while Haley Richardson, Raven Rogers and Kaylee Skipper were named to the All-District team.
Download the broadcast at: http://www.thunder1320.com/downloads/

2017 District 8AAA All District Team

Coffee County
Steve Wilder (Coach of the Year)
1.) Katie Rutledge (District MVP as well)
2.) Raven Rogers
3.) Kaylee Skipper
4.) Haley Richardson

Lawrence County
Maci Birdyshaw (District Pitcher of the Year)
1.) Georgia Land
2.) McKenna Rose
3.) Kenzie Doss

Tullahoma
1.) Aly Barfield
2.) Madalyn Edde
3.) Shyanne Sheffield

Lincoln County
1.) Anna Marie Thorton
2.) Emma Summers

Shelbyville
1.) Kendall Durard
2.) Taylor Sanders

Columbia
1.) Michaela Gaines

Franklin County
1.) Marissa Turrentine