Norfolk Falls to Jacksonville Despite Late Comeback

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --- The Norfolk Tides (7-9) fell to the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (9-7), 4-3, on Tuesday afternoon at 121 Financial Ballpark. Liván Soto tied the game with a two-run home run in the top of the eighth, but Jacksonville walked of the Tides in the bottom of the ninth to hand Norfolk its eighth straight loss.

The Tides and Jumbo Shrimp dueled in a pitcher’s battle to begin Tuesday afternoon’s game, with each team collecting just two hits through the first three innings. Then in the bottom of the fourth, Jacksonville’s Victor Mesa Jr. broke the stalemnate with a home run to give the Jumbo Shrimp a 1-0 lead. They tacked on another run on an RBI double by Jonah Bride in the bottom of the fifth, extending the lead to 2-0.

Despite giving up four hits, Chayce McDermott put together six strikeouts through his five inning start, marking his longest outing since September 9, 2023 against Jacksonville, holding his opponents to two runs or fewer for the third time in four outings this year.

The Jumbo Shrimp added on a third run in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single to give Jacksonville a 3-0 lead. The Tides battled back in the top of the seventh, but were unable to bring home a run after loading the bases.

Then in the top of the eighth, the Tides broke the scoring drought with an RBI single from Ryan McKenna that plated Coby Mayo, cutting the deficit to 3-1. In the following at bat, Liván Soto launched a two-run home run to tie the game at 3-3. Norfolk couldn’t hold off Jacksonville in the bottom of the ninth, though, and lost 4-3 on a walk off hit by Mesa Jr.

LHP John Means (0-1, 12.86) will start on the hill for the Tides tomorrow, with RHP Darren McCaughan (0-2, 6.43) on the mound for Jacksonville in the second game of the road trip. First pitch at 7:05 p.m.

POSTGAME NOTES

Errol Keeps Rocking: Extending his on-base streak to 12 games was Errol Robinson...the shortstop finished 1-for-4, collecting his 500th minor league hit on a one out single in the third inning...Robinson joins Daniel Johnson and Michael Pérez as the only hitters on the Tides roster to surpass that mark...his on-base streak is tied for fourth-longest in the International League.

Handley Hits: Pacing Norfolk hitters Tuesday afternoon was catcher Maverick Handley...he went 3-for-3 with a walk, collecting his most hits in a game since August 13, 2023 at Jacksonville...the multi-hit effort marked Handley’s 37th of his minor league career and 13th with the Tides since he joined them on March 31, 2023.

Ring em’ Up: In his start Tuesday afternoon, Chayce McDermott fanned six batters through five innings, while allowing two earned runs...since his Tides debut on July 15, 2023, McDermott has punched out 85 batters in 14 games (12 starts)...since that day, he ranks second among all Orioles minor league pitchers in strikeouts, two behind teammate Cade Povich.

Warm Welcome: In his Tides debut, Liván Soto launched a two-run, game-tying home run, finishing the day 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI...he’s the second Norfolk hitter to hit a homer in his debut, with Nick Maton doing so on April 4 at Charlotte.