Stowers, Pérez Homer in Tides Win

NORFOLK, VA --- The Norfolk Tides (10-15) beat the Gwinnett Stripers (12-12), 5-1, on Friday night at Harbor Park. Norfolk launched two more home runs in the win, adding to their Triple-A leading total of 48, while snapping a 10-game losing streak at Harbor Park.

The Tides got scoring going once again Friday night, taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Kyle Stowers launched his eighth home run of the season over the right field wall. Gwinnett added back a run in the top of the second on an RBI single from Phillip Evans to cut the lead to 2-1. Norfolk quickly responded in the bottom half of the inning when Errol Robinson plated Maverick Handley on a sacrifice fly out to extend the lead to 3-1.

After the two clubs stayed put through the next four innings, Michael Pérez led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run, his second of the season with the Tides, to give Norfolk a 4-1 advantage. He tacked on another insurance run in the eighth on an RBI single that drove in Hudson Haskin, giving Norfolk a 5-1 lead.

On the mound, Kyle Bradish worked five innings in his second rehab start with the Tides, allowing one earned on five hits and a walk while striking out six batters. Justin Armbruester followed Bradish and put together four scoreless innings in relief.

After the Tides added a fifth run in the bottom of the eighth, Armbruester worked a one, two, three ninth to notch the Tides win.

The Tides will face the Stripers in the fifth game of their six-game series tomorrow, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. RHP Chayce McDermott (0-1, 3.48) is the listed probable for Norfolk, while Gwinnett will start RHP Darius Vines (0-0, 3.75).

POSTGAME NOTES

Stowers Power: Collecting his 100th Triple-A extra base hit tonight was Kyle Stowers...he finished 1-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and a run, while the long ball moved him into first place in the International League with 16 extra base hits...he now has 47 homers with the Tides, two behind Steve Springer for the third most in Norfolk history...the Tides have launched 11 first inning home runs, which is the most in Triple-A and five behind the team’s pace from last year through April.

Mighty Michael: Notching his second multi-hit game of the season was Michael Pérez, who finished 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and a run...the home run marked Pérez’s 74th at the Triple-A level...since September 20, 2023 with Syracuse against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pérez has notched three home runs through 14 games, all of which have come while as the home team.

Bad Bad Bradish: In his second rehab start with the Tides, Kyle Bradish went five innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits and a walk while striking out six batters...his fourth strikeout of the evening marked his 300th career minor league punch out...Tides starters lead all of Triple-A with 128 strikeouts this season, three more than they had through April of last year.

Just(in) Get ‘em Out: In his first relief appearance since July 14, 2023 against Scranton/WB, Justin Armbruester worked four scoreless innings, allowing a hit and three walks while striking out six batters to earn the first Triple-A save of his career...tonight marked the longest relief outing of Armbruester’s career since July 9, 2022 with Bowie at Somerset.