Fifteen Hits Help Tides Avoid Sweep

ALLENTOWN, PA - The Norfolk Tides (9-16 | 39-59) defeated the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (14-12 | 60-40) 10-4 Sunday afternoon at Coca-Cola Park. All nine Tides starters recorded at least one hit as Norfolk avoids being swept thanks to an offensive onslaught.

Emmanuel Rivera went 3-for-5 with a homer, 3 RBI, a walk, and two runs scored. He went 3-for-4 with a double and a triple on Friday night, 4-for-4 on Saturday night, and prior to his strikeout in the eighth, was 3-for-3 and had recorded a base knock in ten consecutive at-bats. His home run this afternoon was his first of the season, and his first as a Tide.

Norfolk scored three in the top of the first after a Vimael Machín (2-for-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R) RBI double, Rivera single, and a fielding error by Lehigh Valley. Ryan Mountcastle went 2-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI in his third rehab game with Norfolk. Rivera delivered a two-run homer in the top of the second which just carried over the left field wall to make it 6-0. Luis Vázquez recorded a two-RBI single with the bases loaded in the fourth for Norfolk’s seventh and eighth runs. Machín would come through again in the ninth with a two-run double to make it 10-3.

Thaddeus Ward (7-6, 5.90) tossed 5.0 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and three walks with two strikeouts. He made a web gem play in the bottom of the fifth where he snagged a comebacker behind his back to start off a one-to-four-to-three double play.

The Tides will travel back to Norfolk tomorrow as they prepare for a two-week homestand against the Memphis Redbirds and Rochester Red Wings. Norfolk will open the series against Memphis on Tuesday, July 29, with first pitch coming at 6:35 at Harbor Park.