Norfolk Opens Homestand With Win Over Memphis

NORFOLK, Va. --- The Norfolk Tides (15-16) opened their series against the Memphis Redbirds (15-16) with a 6-1 victory at Harbor Park, their first home game since April 24.

D.L. Hall, the Orioles No. 5 prospect according to MLB.com, made his highly anticipated Triple-A debut tonight, allowing one run on two hits in 3.0 innings of work. Hall fanned four, including the first two batters he faced, and walked two.

Memphis opened the scoring with a run in the second on an RBI-single from Cory Spangenberg to take the first lead of the ballgame, but Norfolk responded in the bottom half of the inning with a sacrifice fly from Robert Neustrom to tie the game.

The Tides scored a run in each of the fourth and fifth innings, on an RBI-groundout from Richie Martin and a solo home from Kelvin Gutiérrez, respectively, to take a 3-1 lead.

In his first game with Norfolk this season, Gutierrez went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI.

The Tides pitching staff held a potent Redbirds offense to just one run on four hits, allowing just two hits over the final 6.0 innings of the contest. The bullpen twirled 6.0 scoreless innings, with Logan Gillaspie working half of those frames. He earned his first-career Triple-A win by tossing 3.0 shutout innings, allowing just one hit and striking out one.

Norfolk broke the game open in the eighth, scoring three runs on RBI-hits from Neustrom, Martin and Cadyn Grenier, to take a 6-1 lead into the ninth.

Game two of this six game set is tomorrow night, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. LHP Zac Lowther (0-3, 9.64) is slated to take the mound for Norfolk. He will be facing RHP Johan Oviedo (2-2, 6.59), who is tabbed to make the start for Memphis.

POSTGAME NOTES

• HALL MONITOR: D.L. Hall made his Triple-A debut tonight, tossing 3.0 innings, allowing one run on three hits, while striking out four and walking two. Hall fanned the first two Memphis batters that he faced and three of his four total strikeouts came via swings and misses. He did not allow an extra-base hit, but Memphis did go 1-for-3 with runners in scoring position.
• RICHIE THE KID: Richie Martin went 2-for-4 with two RBI in tonight’s series opener and has now hit safely in five-straight games...in his previous series against Nashville, Martin went 7-for-14 (.500) with a double and a triple...he is one hit away from his 400th career minor league hit.
• EXECUTE ORDER 66: In his second-career appearance at the Triple-A level, Logan Gillaspie worked 3.0 scoreless frames, allowing no runs on one while striking out one. Gillaspie needed just 24 pitches to record nine outs, firing 17 of his 24 pitches for strikes. The win was also his first at the Triple-A level.