Tides charge past Bulls in series opener

Audry Perez hit a three-run homer and Joe Gunkel turned in a strong start as Norfolk charged past Durham 8-5 Thursday night from Durham Bulls Athletic Park. 

The Tides led the contest 3-2 in the third inning before Perez belted a two-out, three-run shot off of Justin Marks (6-11) to give Norfolk a 6-2 advantage. The homer was the sixth of the season for Perez, who has hit .353 with four homers and 20 RBI in 39 road contests this season. 

Francisco Pena had a two-run double in the win, while Christian Walker added an RBI double, two walks and a run scored. Ozzie Martinez added an RBI single, lifting Norfolk to the win in the opener of the three-game set. 

Joe Gunkel (8-9) earned the win after allowing two runs on six hits over six innings of work. He struck out a season-high eight batters without walking a batter in the contest, throwing 63 of his 93 pitches for strikes. It was the 11th Quality Start over the last 17 starts for Gunkel, who now owns a 3.56 ERA with Norfolk this season. 

With the win, Norfolk pulled to just 1.0 game back of Gwinnett in the IL South division. Gwinnett leads Charlotte by a half-game, as the Braves and Knights were rained out Thursday. Gwinnett and Charlotte will play a doubleheader Friday, while the Tides and Bulls will meet again at the DBAP. Mike Wright gets the start for the Tides, with first pitch slated for 7:05.