Tillman sharp as Tides win third straight
Tillman (6-4) was sharp in his first outing since June 14 with Baltimore, as he needed just 77 pitches to navigate six innings of work. The 22-year-old right-hander walked two and struck out one, surrendering just two singles and a double in helping the Tides earn their third straight victory.
Rhyne Hughes led Norfolk's offense with two RBI singles, while Josh Bell clubbed a two-run double in the third inning. Joey Gathright added two hits and two runs scored for the Tides on an afternoon where the temperature at games end was 101 degrees.
Brandon Duckworth (2-3) took the loss for the IronPigs, as he yielded four runs on five hits in 4.1 innings.
Lehigh Valley made the contest interesting in the ninth inning, as they pushed across two runs and had the bases loaded with two outs. Alberto Castillo was summoned from the bullpen and the IronPigs countered with Paul Hoover as a pinch-hitter, but Castillo induced a groundout on one pitch to help end the rally and earn his third save of the season.
The Tides will continue their eight-game homestand Friday night as they welcome the Louisville Bats to Harbor Park for the start of a four-game set. Troy Patton (5-7, 4.74) will take the hill for Norfolk against left-hander Travis Wood (4-6, 3.40).