Nashville
The Sounds came up on the short end of a slugfest that featured four lead changes in the first five innings, dropping a 12-8 decision to Portland on Tuesday night.
Nashville got Vinny Rottino’s sixth homer and Ozzie Chavez’s second long ball among its 15 hits, but the hosts’ pitchers gave up 17 hits and five walks.
First baseman Brad Nelson and left fielder Laynce Nix each finished 3 for 5 with an RBI, Nix contributing two doubles. Third baseman Joe Dillon, Rottino and Chavez added two hits apiece as Rottino knocked in three.
Nashville starter Richie Gardner (6-5) suffered his third consecutive defeat, allowing six earned runs in each of them. Monday he allowed seven hits, including two homers, and three walks in 4.1 innings. Randy Choate then got rocked for five runs on eight hits in 2.1 innings before Troy Cate and Tim Dillard shut the door over the final 2.1 innings.
Huntsville
The Stars dropped below the .500 mark with a disheartening 2-1 setback that was extended to eight innings in the first game of a doubleheader and then continued their dive with a 4-2 setback in game two against Montgomery.
Huntsville had won eight of 10 to climb into a share of first place on July 19 but have lost eight of its last nine outings to fall to 18-20 and third place.
In game one, Huntsville’s only run came on Mike Bell’s two-out homer in the second as the hosts managed five hits and struck out 11 times. Designated hitter Alcides Escobar finished 2 for 4, but Mat Gamel and Angel Salome combined to go 0 for 5.
Starter Brae Wright allowed six hits and one run, striking out seven and walking two in seven innings as his ERA dropped to 3.32. Patrick Ryan (3-5) suffered the loss by giving up a homer with one out in the eighth.
Huntsville’s once explosive offense continued to be a shell of itself, accumulating only three hits, two of them from center fielder Lorenzo Cain. The Nos. 2-4 hitters Escobar, Gamel and Cole Gillespie combined to go 0 for 9.
Starter Dave Johnson went four scoreless innings of one-hit ball, but loser Ben Howard (0-1) gave up four hits, two walks and four runs in just two-thirds of an inning.
Brevard County
The Manatees remained at 15-21 because their contest against St. Lucie was washed out by rain.
West Virginia
The first-place Power took round one in a showdown of the top two teams in the South Atlantic League’s Northern Division, posting a 6-5 victory in 12 innings over Lakewood.
West Virginia (27-11) increased its lead to three games over the Blueclaws with three more games scheduled in the series.
The visitors scored the game-winner on left fielder Lee Haydel’s single to right after catcher Anderson De La Rosa and third baseman Matt Cline registered back-to-back singles with one out and moved up on a wild pitch.
Designated hitter Eric Fryer finished 2 for 6 and right fielder Caleb Gindl went 2 for 5 with a triple and two RBIs to give him 60 for the year.
Starter Michael Bowman gave up six hits and three runs in 3.2 innings, but Evan Frederickson tossed 2.1 scoreless innings. However, Curtis Pasma gave up two runs in two-thirds of an inning as Lakewood knotted things at 5-all in the seventh.
Then the West Virginia bullpen put the clamps on as Reed Dickert mowed down the hosts on four hits in 3.1 scoreless frames, winner Jose Garcia (2-2) went one inning despite two walks and a hit and Robert Wooten registered his first save with a perfect ninth.
Wooten, Milwaukee’s 13th round selection in the June draft out of North Carolina, now has 15 strikeouts and only two walks in 11 scoreless innings between Helena and West Virginia.
Helena
The Brewers fell to 0-2 in the second half as Great Falls scored the game-winner in the 10th on a single and triple for a 7-6 victory.
Helena jumped ahead 3-0 in its first at-bat but fell behind twice until grabbing a 6-5 lead during a two-run eighth that included Michael Vass’ sixth homer. However, the Voyagers forced extra innings with an unearned run in the ninth off eventual loser Wily Peralta (0-1).
Cody Adams tossed three innings of one-run ball in relief of starter Trey Watten, who gave up seven hits and four runs in four innings.
Designated hitter Derrick Alfonso led the offense with a 3 for 4 effort, while Vass finished 2 for 5 with two RBIs and catcher Corey Kemp went 1 for 4 with two