Leadoff hitter, Connor Norby, opened the game with a bang as he deposited a 1-2 pitch into the visitor’s bullpen, giving the Tides, the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, a quick 1-0 lead in the first.
Including Norby, the first five Tides batters of the game all reached base, leading to another run scoring on a bases loaded walk drawn by Mayo. Norfolk would take a 3-0 lead into the second after a César Prieto groundout plated another run.
Justin Armbruester took over for Drew Rom on the hill in the second inning and pitched three shutout frames to keep the Norfolk lead intact. He didn’t allow a hit and struck out five batters along the way.
The RailRiders, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, cracked the scoreboard for the first time with two outs in the sixth when Carlos Narvaez launched a two-run home run to left field, cutting the Norfolk lead to one.
Leading off the seventh with a home run was Jesus Bastidas, whose blast tied the game at three apiece. The Tides responded in the home half of the inning with a Heston Kjerstad RBI single flared into center that scored Norby.
The go-ahead knock sparked a seven-run rally that included Mayo’s first Triple-A base hit, an RBI double down the left field line that left the bat at 111.8 MPH. Three doubles were hit in the inning and the scoring was capped by a bases-loaded walk drawn by Norby to give Norfolk a 10-3 lead.
After the Tides added another run in the eighth for an 11-3 advantage, Easton Lucas entered the game in the ninth to shut it down for the win, and Norfolk took the series opener over the RailRiders.
Norfolk is back in action tomorrow night against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. The Tides are expected to send RHP Garrett Stallings (1-1, 3.12) to the hill while the RailRiders are expected to give RHP Clayton Beeter (0-1, 5.73) the starting nod.
Game Notes
Connor Norby who went 2-for-4 with two runs, a home run, two RBI and a walk…he extends his hitting streak to eight games which ties a season best and it is now the fourth eight-game hit streak he has recorded this year…he is batting .355 (11-for-31) with two doubles, three home runs, 12 RBI and six walks over that span.
Checking in with his first Triple-A hit and RBI tonight was Coby Mayo who went 1-for-4 with a double and three RBI in his Tides debut…it was his 31st double of the year, the most in the Orioles organization this season.
Share
Chris Graham
