Lowther dominates and Jarrett homers, but Tides fall 4-3 to Durham Friday
Tides starter Zac Lowther threw five dominant innings and right fielder Zach Jarrett homered and drove in two runs, but the Tides fell 4-3 to the Durham Bulls on Friday night at Harbor Park. Neither Lowther (5.0IP, 3H, 0ER, 1BB, 6K) nor Durham starter Drew Strotman allowed a run through
Tides starter Zac Lowther threw five dominant innings and right fielder Zach Jarrett homered and drove in two runs, but the Tides fell 4-3 to the Durham Bulls on Friday night at Harbor Park.
Neither Lowther (5.0IP, 3H, 0ER, 1BB, 6K) nor Durham starter Drew Strotman allowed a run through the first three and a half innings, with each pitcher holding the opposing team to one hit.
The Tides plated the first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth. With one out, Strotman walked Tyler Nevin. Jarrett, the next batter, ripped a ball into the gap in right-center field to score Nevin from first and give Norfolk a 1-0 advantage.
Safe at the plate! RBI double from @jarrett_zach to drive in @TylerNevin23
— Norfolk Tides (@NorfolkTides) June 19, 2021
gives us the lead.
Tides 1 - Durham 0 | Top 5 pic.twitter.com/mqzORY8FKM
With two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the sixth inning, Durham pinch hitter Dalton Kelly hit a grand slam off of Tides reliever Shawn Armstrong to put the Bulls on top by a 4-1 score.
Jarrett cut the Norfolk deficit to two runs in the bottom of the sixth by launching his fourth home run of the season. Friday night’s contest marked his seventh multi-hit game, and his fourth game with multiple runs batted in, in 20 games played for the Tides.
.@jarrett_zach cuts the deficit to 4-2 with his fourth homer of the year 💥 pic.twitter.com/TZQJBCPoQW
— Norfolk Tides (@NorfolkTides) June 19, 2021
A leadoff hit from Norfolk’s’ Ramon Urias in the bottom of the seventh was followed by a double by Ryan Ripken to put runners on second and third with no outs. However, Norfolk was unable to push across a run, as each of the next three hitters struck out.
Durham reliever Brent Honeywell Jr. entered the game in the bottom of the ninth with a two-run lead. With the Tides down to their final strike, Ryan McKenna advanced to second on defensive indifference. Norfolk second baseman Jahmai Jones, who had extended his team season-high hitting streak to nine games earlier in the evening, slapped a single to right field to score McKenna and make it a one-run game. Honeywell bounced back to retire the next hitter, Domingo Leyba, cutting the Norfolk comeback attempt short.
Over his last three starts with the Tides, Lowther has recorded a 1.38 ERA (13.2IP, 2ER) and struck out 14 batters. He has not allowed a run over his last 10 innings pitched.
Norfolk and Durham (26-13) will face off in game five of their six-game series on Saturday night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:05. Right-hander Kyle Bradish will start for the Tides, while the Bulls are expected to start righty Luis Patino. Saturday will also mark the second Post-Game Fireworks Extravaganza presented by HeadWaters Resort & Casino.