Norfolk’s leadoff hitter delivered a pair of Earl Weaver specials during a dominant offensive performance by the Tides.
Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 18, Charlotte Knights (White Sox) 10
Norfolk’s bats tole the show, but pitcher Brandon Young matched the offense for a stretch. Young struggled to recover from an early fielding error in the second, but he settled in for one of the more dominant pitching stretches of the year for the Tides.
Young struck out nine of the 10 batters he faced between the second and fifth innings. He tied his career-high strikeout total with 10, and pitched deep enough to earn an easy victory.
The Tides exploded for seven runs in the second inning. Hudson Haskin walked, stole second, and scored the first run on a fielder’s choice. Noelberth Romero plated a pair with a single to left, and Daniel Johnson doubled the lead with a three-run homer. Nick Maton followed with a solo shot that chased Charlotte’s starter from the game.
The Tides came back for four more runs in the third. Romero delivered another RBI single, and Johnson launched his second three-run homer of the game! Johnson finished 3-for-5 with the two homers, six RBIs, four runs scored and a walk.
Norfolk kept pouring it on with six more runs in the fifth. Coby Mayo plated a pair with one of his four hits, and Shayne Fontana drove in the 17th run with a single to center. Fontana finished 3-for-6 with three runs scored, and Romero finished 3-for-6 with three runs scored.
Double-A: Somerset Patriots (Yankees) 6, Bowie Baysox 2
Bowie starter Alex Pham delivered five innings of one-run ball, but the Baysox’ bullpen failed to hold the momentum. Somerset tagged reliever Bradley Brehmer for four runs in the seventh inning, and Houston Roth allowed one run in the ninth.
Silas Ardoin evened the score at one with a single in the fourth inning, and TT Bowens trimmed the lead to three with a sacrifice fly in the eighth.
Frederick Bencosme reached base four times with a pair of singles and two walks. Ryan Higgins finished 2-for-3 with a double, and Samuel Basallo went 1-for-4 with a walk.
High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (Mets) 8, Aberdeen IronBirds 4
The Cyclones jumped Aberdeen starter Daniel Lloyd for seven runs (six earned) in the first three innings. The IronBirds did their best to battle back with three runs in the sixth, but they failed to overcome the early deficit.
Reed Trimble drove in the first run with a single, and Adam Retzbach brought him home with a two-run blast. Trimble recorded the only multi-hit game for the IronBirds, while Retzbach produced the only extra-base hit.
Tavian Josenberger scored the only other run on a wild pitch in the eighth.
Low-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Cubs) 4, Delmarva Shorebirds 1
The Shorebirds struck first with a Leandro Arias sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first, but the bats went silent after that. Delmarva only tallied five hits, but Aron Estrada flashed some speed with a pair of stolen bases.
Delmarva starter Braxton Bragg dazzled for five innings. The former eighth-round pick allowed only one hit, struck out seven and only walked one.
Riley Cooper received the loss after allowing all four runs over 3.2 innings of work.
Friday’s Schedule
- Norfolk: at Charlotte, 7:04. Starter: Bruce Zimmermann (2-4, 4.36 ERA)
- Bowie: vs Somerset, 7:05. Starter: Cameron Weston (4-6, 3.27 ERA)
- Aberdeen: vs Brooklyn, 7:05. Starter: TBD
- Delmarva: vs Myrtle Beach, 7:05. Starter: Jacob Cravey (0-7, 5.37 ERA)