Joey Rickard homered and Ryan Mountcastle had two hits, but the Toledo Mud Hens used three home runs to cruise past the Tides 11-4 Saturday night at Harbor Park.
Joey Rickard homered and Ryan Mountcastle had two hits, but the Toledo Mud Hens used three home runs to cruise past the Tides 11-4 Saturday night at Harbor Park.
Jake Rogers, Danny Pinero and Jeimar Candelario each homered for the Mud Hens, who pounded out 13 hits to earn their second straight win to open the series. Candelario finished a double short of hitting for the cycle and drove in four runs, while Jacob Robson added three hits and three runs batted in.
Norfolk starter Luis Ysla (2-5) took the loss after allowing six runs on seven hits over 3.2 innings of work. He allowed just one run through the first three frames, but the Mud Hens exploded for five runs on five hits in the fourth frame to take command of the game and knock Ysla from the contest. Toledo collected four extra-base hits in the fourth inning, including run-scoring triples from both Candelario and Robson. Ysla walked two without striking out a batter in his outing, throwing 39 of his 64 pitches for strikes.
Rickard hit a solo shot in the seventh inning for his fourth round tripper of the season to help pace the Tides offense, while Mountcastle added two singles and a run scored. It was the 25th multi-hit game of the season for Mountcastle, who is now hitting .310 with 12 home runs and 44 RBI through his first 58 games at the Triple-A level.
Norfolk scored the first run of the contest on a double steal in the first frame, with Jace Peterson stealing second base and Cedric Mullins swiping home. It was the first steal of home by a Tides player since LJ Hoes accomplished the feat during the 2016 season.
Caleb Theilbar (2-1) earned the win for the Mud Hens with two shutout innings in relief of starter Kyle Funkhouser, who allowed three runs on two hits over four innings of work.
With the loss, Norfolk has now dropped seven of its past eight contests to drop to 27-39 on the season.
The two teams will conclude their three-game set on Sunday afternoon at Harbor Park, with first pitch slated for 1:05. Chandler Shepherd 0-5, 10.01) gets the start for Norfolk and will be opposed by left-hander Tyler Alexander (1-8, 7.26).
On Sunday, the first 2,000 men ages 18 & over will receive a Tides cooler bag, presented by Virginia Birth Father Registry. There will also be a pregame catch on the field from 11:45 am - 12:15 pm, with gates opening at 11:30 am.
Notes: The Tides wore camouflage jerseys as part of Marine Night at Harbor Park…Earlier Saturday, RHP Jimmy Yacabonis was recalled to Baltimore, while RHP Evan Phillips was activated after being optioned from the Orioles… The attendance of 8,516 was a season-high…With three homers allowed Saturday, Norfolk has now allowed a league-high 101 home runs this year, just eight shy of matching their entire 2018 season total…Pedro Araujo made his Triple-A debut, allowing four runs on four hits over 3.1 innings of relief…Norfolk turned a season-high four double plays.
