Outlaws Fall to Miners; Win Streak Snapped

By TY

Box Score | Season Stats | Updated Standings

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Nashville Outlaws had its season-high four-game winning streak snapped on Saturday when they fell to West Virginia by a score of 10-6 at Faith & Family Night at Hawkins Field. The Outlaws (21-20 overall, 7-6 2nd half) continued to swing the hot bats Saturday as they combined for 15 hits while scoring only six runs.

After jumping out to big leads on West Virginia the first two games of the series, the Miners had their way on Saturday as they got out to a 7-0 lead before Kevin Smith (LSU-Shreveport) launched his first home run of the summer, a three-run shot into the right-field bleachers to get the Outlaws within four at 7-3.

Greg Bachman (Austin Peay) led Nashville with a four-hit night to raise his average to a season-best .320. Bryan Johns (Vanderbilt) continued his hot-bat with a three more hits and a run scored.

Johnny Amann (Judson), Jack Lupo and Smith all had two hits apiece in Nashville's 15-hit offensive attack. Smith led the way in the RBI department, driving in three, while Amann had two.

Daniel Palo (MTSU) allowed seven runs (six earned) on just five hits while walking four and hitting two in 2.2 innings to fall to 2-3 on the summer.

Steven Murray (TCU) allowed three runs (all unearned) on four hits in three innings of middle relief while Lee Thompson (St. Catherine College) struck out three and allowed just one hit in 3.1 innings of scoreless relief.

Despite the loss on Saturday, the Outlaws have started to gel at the plate and their numbers show that. In three games against the second-place Miners, the Outlaws pounded out 42 hits and scored 27 runs.

Besides the game, musical performances by SonicFlood and Denver Bierman and the Mile High Orchestra and a terrific postgame fireworks show highlighted the second Faith & Family Night of the summer. A crowd of 2,239 attended the day's events at Hawkins Field.

Nashville will now host first-place division leader Terre Haute for two games, starting tomorrow (Sunday) night at 6 p.m.

To secure tickets log onto www.nashvilleoutlaws.com or call the Nashville Outlaws at 615-346-9405.

Nashville falls to Chillicothe in 14 innings

By TY

Box Score | Season Stats

Trying to win its franchise best fifth game in a row, Nashville failed to get a timely hit with men on base as Chillicothe edged the Outlaws, 4-3 in 14 innings at VA Memorial Stadium on Thursday. The Outlaws (9-9) stranded 15 runners on base in a game that last four hours and 31 minutes.

Greg Bachman (Austin Peay) led Nashville at the plate on Thursday, going 3-for-5 with a run scored while Sam Dove (Georgia Tech) and Johnny Amann (Judson) each added two hits in the loss.

A total of 12 pitchers were used in the game. Nashville used a season-high seven pitchers in Thursday night’s contest.

Navery Moore (Vanderbilt) posted his second solid outing in as many chances on Thursday, allowing two runs on five hits in six and one-third innings. Moore struck out five and walked two.

Daniel Palo (Middle Tennessee) fell to 0-2 on the year after allowing one run on two hits in the bottom of the 14th.

The Outlaws will get tomorrow off before traveling to Hannibal, Mo., for a two-game road series with the Hannibal Caveman on Saturday and Sunday.

Outlaws storm back to beat Miners

By TY

Box Score

BECKLEY, W. Va. – Trailing 2-0 heading into the eighth, the Nashville Outlaws staged its biggest comeback of the season by scoring six runs in over the final two innings to knock-off West Virginia, 6-2 at Linda K. Epling Stadium on Sunday.

With the win, the Outlaws clinched the series (took two out of three) over the Miners while improving to 7-8 overall. After losing four of five games from June 9-13, the Outlaws have now four of its last five games dating back to June 15.

The weekend series win over West Virginia (7-8) concludes a solid week for the Outlaws, who went 4-2 on the week, including a pair of road wins at Richmond on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Nashville trailed 2-0 heading into the eighth as they had five hits and no runs to show for off West Virginia starter Andrew Smith who struck out five in five shutout innings.

The Outlaws got to the Miner bullpen in the eighth though when they sent nine guys to the plate in a 5-run inning. Nashville was aided by two costly West Virginia errors in the inning that led to two unearned runs.

With Nashville clinging to a 5-2 lead heading into the ninth, the Outlaws added one more insurance run in their last at-bat when Greg Bachman (Austin Peay) drove in Sam Dove (Georgia Tech) from third on a two-out RBI single.

For the third time in three days, the Outlaws got another solid start out of its starting pitcher. On Sunday, Daniel Palo (Middle Tennessee) allowed two runs on four hits in 6.1 innings with five strikeouts and three walks to earn the no-decision.

Steven Murray (TCU) picked up the win after throwing 1.1 innings of no-hit scoreless relief while closer Jon Ivie (Belmont) threw a perfect-ninth to earn his league-leading fourth save of the season.

Offensively Sunday, Doug Joyce (Florida International) continued his hot-bat, going 3-for-5 with 2 RBI, a double and run scored. Jack Lupo (Vanderbilt) went 2-for-4 while Johnny Amann (Judson) drove in two-runs on an RBI single in the eighth.

The Outlaws lineup will receive some immediate depth this week as Vanderbilt’s Drew Fann and Bryan Johns are slated to make their Outlaw debuts this week against Hannibal.

Nashville will return to friendly confines of Hawkins Field on Monday when they host Hannibal Cavemen for two games (Monday and Tuesday). Both games will start at 7 p.m.

Click here to order tickets.

photo above by W. Dayton Whittle

Outlaws Even Series, Crush Miners 9-2

By TY

Box Score

BECKLY, W.Va. – A day after scoring just one run on three hits, the Nashville Outlaws jumped out to an early 6-0 lead after one inning and got a great outing from starting pitcher Taylor Haydel en route to a 9-2 win over West Virginia at Linda K Epling Stadium on Saturday.

Haydel (Western Kentucky) won his first game in two starts, allowing two runs, one earned on five hits in six-innings on Saturday. Haydel struck out five and walked two while facing 29 batters.

Left-hander Matt Fitton (Sacred Heart) was dominant out of the bullpen in relief of Haydel, allowing just one-hit in three-innings of scoreless relief in what was his fifth appearance of the season.

Nashville (6-8) got out to an early 6-0 lead when they scored six runs on four hits while taking advantage of one Miner error in the top of the first. Johnny Amann (Judson), Greg Bachman (Austin Peay), Andrew Brouillette (LSU-Shreveport) and Jack Lupo (Vanderbilt) all had hits in the inning. Bachman’s two-RBI one-out double was the key hit in the inning.

The Outlaws added two more runs in the fourth when Lupo and Amann scored on a Doug Joyce fielders choice and a Kevin Smith double to make it 8-1 in favor of Nashville.

West Virginia added their last run of the game in the fifth while the Outlaws closed out the scoring in the eighth when Sam Dove scored on a Daniel Palo (Middle Tennessee) fielders choice.

Lupo and Smith led Nashville at the plate with two hits apiece, while Sam Dove (Georgia Tech) and Billy Rumpke III (Columbia) each scored two runs.

Nashville will close out its three-game road series with the Miners (6-7) on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. at Linda K. Epling Stadium.

photo by W. Dayton Whittle