The Toledo Mud Hens broke open a close contest with four ninth inning runs to surge past the Tides 7-2 Friday night at Harbor Park.
The Toledo Mud Hens broke open a close contest with four ninth inning runs to surge past the Tides 7-2 Friday night at Harbor Park.
Norfolk trailed the contest 3-2 entering the ninth inning, but the Mud Hens erupted for four runs off of Jay Flaa to blow the game open. Mike Mahtook ignited the inning with a solo homer, while Daz Cameron and Jacob Robson later added back-to-back run-scoring triples that extended Toledo's lead to 7-2.
Ryan Mountcastle plated both of Norfolk's runs, driving home Cedric Mullins with a single in the first inning before knocking in Jace Peterson with a double in the eighth. Mountcastle, the #1 prospect in the Orioles system according to MLB.com, now has 44 runs batted in this season, tops among all Orioles minor leaguers.
Peterson continued his strong stretch with a pair of hits - his fifth consecutive multi-hit game. Over that stretch, the 29-year-old infielder has batted .550 (11-20) with a home run, four doubles and four RBI.
Matt Wotherspoon (2-1) took the loss in a spot start after allowing three runs on two hits over three innings of work. Making just his second start of the season, he walked two and struck out four but yielded three second inning runs.
Sean Gilmartin followed Wotherspoon's outing with three sterling innings, allowing two hits while striking out four. In four appearances in June, Gilmartin has now fired 9.1 shutout innings with 13 strikeouts, zero walks and a .121 opponents average (4-33).
The two clubs will continue their three-game set on Saturday night at Harbor Park, with first pitch slated for 7:05. Luis Ysla (2-4, 5.07) is set to start for Norfolk, while the Mud Hens are scheduled to counter with right-hander Kyle Funkhouser (0-3, 7.64).
Saturday is Marine Corps Night, as the Tides will honor the brave men and women that serve in the United States Marine Corps. There will also be a postgame fireworks show presented by Navy Mutual.
Notes: The Tides wore different caps from the Virginia Beach Police, Fire and First Responders to honor those who assisted during the tragic shooting in Virginia Beach…Earlier Friday, the Orioles recalled RHP Luis Ortiz and LHP Josh Rogers to Baltimore, with Baltimore optioning RHP Evan Phillips to Norfolk and placing RHP Josh Lucas on the Injured List. LHP Luis Gonzalez was reinstated from Norfolk's Injured List, RHP Pedro Araujo was transferred to Norfolk from Bowie, and OF Mark Trumbo returned to Baltimore's Injured List, ending his Major League Rehab Assignment with Norfolk.
