Martin Earns Fourth Straight Win as IronPigs Down Tides
ALLENTOWN, PA - The Lehigh Valley IronPigs won their third straight game, and their fifth in their last six tries, as they defeated the Norfolk Tides 4-3 on a soggy Thursday night at Coca-Cola Park.
Ethan Martin (5-2) won his fourth consecutive start, allowing two earned runs on four hits and two walks over six innings. Justin Friend and Phillippe Aumont each tossed a scoreless inning in relief before Jake Diekman allowed one run to score in the ninth, but held on for his fifth save of the season.
The IronPigs (21-25), who are now riding a three-game winning streak for the second time this season, scored their first run in the second inning when Josh Fields doubled and came around to score on a two-out single to left field from Steven Lerud. Lehigh Valley doubled its lead in the third, as Cody Asche launched a leadoff dinger over the right field wall to put the home side ahead 2-0.
In the sixth inning Norfolk (31-16) evened the score, starting when L.J. Hoes scored from third on a wild pitch. Later in the frame Brandon Wood hit a sacrifice fly to left field, plating Ryan Flaherty to tie the game at 2-2.
Lehigh Valley would make a winner out of Martin though, as they responded in the bottom half of the frame. Darin Ruf led off the frame with a double before Cody Overbeck followed with a walk. After a strikeout, Lerud hit a sharp grounder to second base, deflecting off Flaherty's glove and scoring Ruf from second. Michael Martinez followed with a single up the middle to score Overbeck and give the IronPigs a 4-2 advantage.
The Tides, who lost for just the seventh time in their last 21 contests, made it interesting in the ninth, scoring a run and putting the tying run on first base with nobody out. After back-to-back force outs at second base, and an error which put runners on first and second, Overbeck picked a ball out of the dirt on a throw from Cesar Hernandez to end the game, giving the IronPigs the opening win in the four-game set.
Fields and Martinez each finished with a pair of hits, while Asche's home run was his fifth of the year.
Game two of the series is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. tomorrow from Coca-Cola Park, when LHP Raul Valdes (0-0, 0.00) goes for Lehigh Valley opposite Norfolk RHP Steve Johnson (1-2, 5.49).
Bacon Bits: Hernandez celebrated his 23rd birthday… Martin is now 5-0 when he issues two walks or fewer… The Tides lost back-to-back games for the first time since an April 20 doubleheader.