Tides surge past Toledo for series victory
Norfolk used a seven-run sixth inning and 16 hits to roll past the Toledo Mud Hens 11-3 in the rubber match of a three-game set Sunday night at Harbor Park.
The game was tied 3-3 entering the sixth frame before the Tides exploded for seven runs on seven hits to blow the game open. Paul Janish had a two-run double to put the Tides on top before Dariel Álvarez, Francisco Peña and L.J. Hoes added run-scoring singles as Norfolk sent 11 men to the plate against Thad Weber (7-10) and Kurt Spomer.
Hoes finished with three hits and three runs batted in, as six different Tides batters registered a multi-hit game in the win. Eight of nine Norfolk batters scored a run in the contest, as the 11 runs set a Tides season-high for runs in a game at Harbor Park.
Xavier Avery hit a two-run homer in the win, a deep shot to center field in the fifth inning. The home run was just the second in 15 home games for Norfolk since the All-Star break and snapped a stretch of 271 plate appearances for the Tides without a long ball at Harbor Park.
The offensive outburst helped make a winner out of Mike Wright (3-3), who allowed three runs on six hits over seven innings of work. The East Carolina product struck out four without walking a batter, yielding two solo home runs and a sacrifice fly as he turned in his sixth Quality Start in 10 outings with Norfolk this season. Wright threw 62 of his 87 pitches for strikes and now owns a 3.28 ERA with the Tides since being optioned from Baltimore on June 22.
With the win, Norfolk has now gone nine consecutive series without a series loss. The Tides have won seven series and split two others over that span, as Norfolk has gone 17-9 since July 18. Norfolk is now just 2.0 games back of Gwinnett in the IL South division with 23 games remaining.
The Tides open up a seven-game, six-day road trip with two games Monday night against the leaders of the IL North, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. First pitch from Moosic, Pa is slated for 5:05 pm, with all the action carried on ESPN Radio 94.1.
Notes: Michael Almanzar doubled in the third inning, his ninth double and 16th extra-base hit since the All-Star break…Dariel Álvarez singled twice in the contest to extend his hitting streak to seven games…The 11-run output was the fifth time the Tides have scored double digits in runs this season and the first since a 10-run effort at Indianapolis on July 30th…Norfolk is now 8-1 in series finales over their last nine series played…Norfolk did not commit an error for the 10th consecutive game.