Home Norfolk Tides finish out series split at Gwinnett with 6-2 Sunday loss to the Stripers
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Norfolk Tides finish out series split at Gwinnett with 6-2 Sunday loss to the Stripers

Chris Graham

norfolk tides The Norfolk Tides (60-34) fell to the Gwinnett Stripers (42-53), 6-2, on Sunday at Coolray Field, finishing out a six-game series split.

Tides starter Drew Rom started off hot, facing the minimum throught the first two innings. That flipped when Yolmer Sanchez led the third off with a double, advanced to third on a single, and scored on an RBI groundout by Braden Shewmake to break the game open.

Vaughn Grissom followed Shewmake with an RBI single to put the Stripers, the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, up 2-0.

The Stripers continued their early game success in the fourth with two more runs. Joe Hudson knocked an RBI double to knock in the first run. He scored on a single by Sanchez to make in 4-0.

Norfolk, the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, scored their only two runs in the top of the sixth. Ryan McKenna led off with a double, then advanced to third on a bloop double by Heston Kjerstad. Both of them scored when Connor Norby knocked a two-run single to make it 4-2.

That was as close as the game would get from there, as Gwinnett answered right back with two runs of their own. Magneuris Sierra knocked in the first run of the inning follwed by a Luke Williams RBI single to finalize the 6-2 victory.

The Tides return to Harbor Park Tuesday to start a two-week homestand. They start with Nashville this Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. to start a six-game series. Next week, the Tides will host Charlotte for a six-day, seven-game series due to the July 3 rainout.

Game Notes

  • The only run producer for the Tides today was Connor Norby, who went 1-for-4 with two RBI…he hasn’t gone hitless in back-to-back games since April 28, hitting safely in 54-of-69 games…in that that span, he’s slashing .288/.349/.488/.837.

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019, and Team of Destiny: Inside Virginia Basketball’s Run to the 2019 National Championship, and The Worst Wrestling Pay-Per-View Ever, published in 2018. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].