Norfolk Tides close out series with Gwinnett Stripers with 13-4 win

The Norfolk Tides (40-17) defeated the Gwinnett Stripers (24-33), 13-4, on Sunday afternoon at Harbor Park.

It would be Gwinnett, the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, that got things rolling in the run department this afternoon as they scratched the game’s first run in the second inning of play as Hoy Park’s ground-rule double was followed by an RBI single by Joe Dunand, putting the Stripers in front, 1-0.

As the game turned over to the bottom of the second, the Tides, the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, quickly captured the lead after Robbie Glendinning smashed a two-run home run into the party deck in right field, giving Norfolk the 2-1 lead.

To open things up in the home half of the third, Jordan Westburg found his way on base with a single and subsequently stole second to put himself in scoring position. Lewin Díaz was able to bring Westburg around with a single of his own through the left side of the infield to plate Norfolk’s third run of the game.

A favorable hitter’s count for Colton Cowser in the fourth led to a line drive home run that landed beyond the Tides bullpen for a solo home run. As Cowser rounded the bags, pointing towards his teammates in the arm barn, he extended the Norfolk lead to three.

An RBI double off the bat of Vaughn Grissom in the fifth closed the gap to a 4-2 score. The Tides would answer in the bottom half of the inning with Glendinning lacing a two-out single with the bases chucked to bring in two runs. A pair of sixth inning blasts from Dunand and Eli White kept the Stripers close, bringing the score to 6-4 in favor of the Tides.

Another bases-loaded situation for the Tides in the sixth allowed Díaz to lay in to a pitch that almost left the yard, but just stayed in, bouncing off the top of the wall, clearing the bags and increasing the Tides run total to nine. Following the seventh inning stretch, the Tides tallied a four-run inning, giving them a 13-4 lead, one they would hold on to, earning the Sunday win.

Game Notes

Lewin Díaz went 3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored, a double, and four RBI…it was his fifth three-hit game this season and his 15th multi-hit game overall…with his second inning single, Díaz picked up his 200th career Triple-A hit.

Robbie Glendinning went 2-for-4 in the batter’s box with two runs scored, a home run, four RBI and a walk…the second inning blast was his first Triple-A home run of his career.

Next Up

Norfolk has the day off tomorrow and will travel to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take on the RailRiders with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. on Tuesday night. Neither side has announced a probable starter.