Ripken, Neustrom Continue Hot Streaks, But Tides Fall 8-2 Thursday

Designated hitter Ryan Ripken drove in a run and extended his hitting streak to four games, but the Tides dropped the fourth game of their six-game series against the Durham Bulls by an 8-2 score on Thursday afternoon.

Norfolk right-hander Claudio Custodio (4.0IP, 5H, 2R, BB, 5K) took the mound in a spot start and tied a personal season high with five strikeouts. Though he was tagged for a quick first-inning run after allowing back-to-back doubles to open the game, Custodio managed to make it through the fourth inning while allowing just one additional run.

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the second, the Tides drew a pair of walks to put two runners aboard for Ripken. With two outs, the Norfolk designated hitter slapped a ground ball to the opposite field, beating the Durham shift and scoring catcher Brett Cumberland from second base.

The Bulls responded with three unanswered runs against Custodio and Tides reliever Cody Carroll. An RBI single from Durham left fielder Ryan Boldt in the fourth inning gave the Bulls a 2-1 advantage. The club added two more runs in the fifth on a pair of solo homers, putting Norfolk in a 4-1 hole.

In the bottom half of the fifth, Tides right fielder Robert Neustrom – one of the inarguable heroes of Wednesday’s doubleheader sweep -- plated Norfolk’s second run of the afternoon on a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring shortstop Mason McCoy. Though Ripken was able to advance to third on the play, he was stranded there after second baseman Jahmai Jones grounded out.

A long two-run blast from Durham catcher Rene Pinto in the seventh inning, the Bulls’ third long ball of the game, was followed by another RBI single from Boldt to extended the lead to four runs. Durham finished the afternoon with eight runs and 14 hits.

Cape Henry Collegiate graduate Sean Poppen combined with fellow Durham reliever Joey Krehbiel to throw two perfect innings to finish off the game, giving their team its first win of the series.

Tides reliever Dusten Knight pitched a 1-2-3 top of the ninth inning, extending his team season-high scoreless innings streak to 19.2. He also lowered his ERA to 0.68.

Ripken -- the son of Hall-of-Famer and Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. -- recorded a hit in his season-high fourth consecutive game. Over that stretch, the 27-year-old has raised his season batting average by 25 points while hitting .400 (4-for-10) with a home run, two RBI and as many walks as strikeouts (4).

The Tides and Bulls will match up again on Friday night, as righty Mike Baumann, the No. 8 prospect in the Orioles’ minor league system, will make his Triple-A debut with Norfolk. He will be opposed by Durham’s Tommy Romero, the No. 28 prospect of the Tampa Bay Rays. First pitch at Harbor Park is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., with the Tides seeking their fourth win in five games against the league-leading Bulls.