Leading off the game this evening was Connor Norby as he jumped on the first pitch he saw, taking it the other way for a solo home run that got the Tides, the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, on the board early.
Norby struck again in the second as he brought Maverick Handley all the way around from first on a double that hit off the wall in left-center, giving Norfolk a 2-0 lead.
Quick innings would follow as both starters continued to post scoreless innings in rapid fashion. The score would remain at a Norfolk 2-0 advantage until the Knights, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, cracked the scoreboard in the sixth after a pair of throwing errors allowed Erik Gonzalez to score from first base.
The Knights would even the score at two apiece when Victor Reyes found the gap in right-center for an RBI double.
The game remained deadlocked until Handley kicked off the bottom of the eighth with a leadoff walk, quickly working his way into scoring position by stealing second. With runners at first and third later in the frame, Joey Ortiz roped a double down the right field line to plate two runs. The Tides would leave the eighth with a 6-2 lead after Ortiz scored on a ground ball and Daz Cameron singled home a run.
The Knights would tack on a run in the ninth with a solo homer off the bat of Lenyn Sosa, but that would be all Charlotte could muster as the Tides came away with the 6-3 series opening win.
Norfolk is back in action tomorrow night with a twin-bill against Charlotte. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 5:35 p.m. The Tides are expected to trot out RHP Chayce McDermott (2-0, 2.77) and have not announced a probable for game two.
The Knights have yet to announce a game one starter, but are expecting to send RHP Alejandro Mateo (1-0, 9.12) to the hill for the nightcap.
Game Notes
- Going 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, two RBI and a walk tonight was Connor Norby, extending his on-base streak to 22 games…In that span (since July 2), he is hitting .352 (31-for-88) with 16 runs, six doubles, a triple, six homers, 21 RBI, and 13 walks while slashing .436/.648/1.084…it’s the second-longest on-base streak by a Tide this season trailing only Colton Cowser (24 games)…his leadoff blast was the 11th by a Tides player this season and the fifth by Norby alone…over his last 15 games (since July 14), he has hit a home run to open the game four times.
- Garrett Stallings tossed eight innings without allowing an earned run while giving up three hits and striking out nine batters…it was his second start against Charlotte this season, and he is now posting a 0.64 ERA and a 0.71 WHIP in 14.0 innings while recording 18 strikeouts against the Knights.
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Chris Graham
