MLN Newswire - www.mlntherawfeed.com -ROUND ROCK, Texas – Left-hander Manny Parra worked seven strong innings to lead the Nashville Sounds to a 3-1 victory over the Round Rock Express on Friday evening at The Dell Diamond in the finale of a three-game series.

Parra (1-2) allowed only two hits and struck out seven batters over seven scoreless frames in picking up his first Triple-A victory in four starts this season. The southpaw continued his mastery of the Express, improving to 3-0 with a miniscule 0.64 ERA (2er/28.0ip) in four career starts against them.

Sounds shortstop Alcides Escobar (3-for-4) led the offensive attack by posting a “triple double” in the contest, legging out a trio of two-baggers to account for half of Nashville’s six hits on the evening.

The first-place Sounds (46-36) took two of three from Round Rock on their brief road trip, the club’s first winning road series since early June.

Nashville grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the third against Round Rock start Mark McLemore when Escobar and Hernan Iribarren put together back-to-back two-out doubles off the left-hander.

The Sounds doubled the advantage to 2-0 in the fifth. With one out, Parra drew a walk from McLemore and moved to third when Escobar doubled to left. Iribarren drove in his second run of the night when he followed with a sacrifice fly to center that plated Parra.

Round Rock took advantage of Parra’s departure in the eighth, halving the lead to 2-1 against the Sounds’ bullpen. After David Johnson retired the first two batters of the frame, pinch-hitter Jason Smith laced a double to right and scored on Brian Bogusevic’s subsequent RBI single to right.

After a throwing error by Nashville catcher Martin Maldonado allowed Bogusevic to advance to third on the play, southpaw R.J. Swindle was summoned from the Nashville ‘pen and induced an inning-ending flyout from Tommy Manzella to escape the frame with a one-run lead intact.

Pinch-hitter Joe Koshansky provided Nashville with an insurance run in the top of the ninth inning when he belted a two-out solo home run to right-center off Express reliever Casey Daigle. The slugger’s 16th roundtripper of the season and the Sounds’ first pinch-hit tater of the year increased the visitors’ lead to 3-1.

Ryan Houston worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth to secure the win and earn his third save of the year for Nashville. It was the Sounds’ first save since June 16, a span of 16 contests.

McLemore (2-4) took a hard-luck loss for Round Rock following a quality start. He allowed two runs on five hits while striking out five batters in his 6 2/3 frames of action.

The Sounds return to Music City on Saturday to begin a nine-game homestand with the 6:00 p.m. opener of a four-game series against the Albuquerque Isotopes (AAA-Dodgers) at historic Greer Stadium.

Nashville right-hander Tim Dillard (8-3, 3.86) will make the start to face Albuquerque right-hander Charlie Haeger (8-5, 3.75) in a battle of the PCL’s winningest pitchers this season.

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