Three home runs not enough in loss to Durham Sunday
Nick Ciuffo, Tyler Nevin and Ramon Urias each homered for the Tides, but a late rally fell short as Norfolk (15-24) dropped the finale of its six-game set with the Durham Bulls on Sunday by a 6-5 final score. Durham second baseman Vidal Brujan led off the game with a
Nick Ciuffo, Tyler Nevin and Ramon Urias each homered for the Tides, but a late rally fell short as Norfolk (15-24) dropped the finale of its six-game set with the Durham Bulls on Sunday by a 6-5 final score.
Durham second baseman Vidal Brujan led off the game with a home run, his second homer in as many games and his fourth consecutive hit after starting the series 0-for-14.
Norfolk answered with two hits and a walk in the bottom half of the first inning, culminating in an RBI single from center fielder Zach Jarrett, then took a 2-1 lead in the second inning on Ciuffo’s solo blast into the visitor’s bullpen in left field. The 26-year-old catcher had missed the first month-and-a-half of the season recovering from a broken bone in his right hand.
Three consecutive Durham hits with two outs in the fourth inning gave the Bulls two runs and a 3-2 lead. An RBI single in the fifth made it a 4-2 game before Nevin‘s solo homer brought Norfolk within one run once again.
The Bulls added an insurance run in both the sixth and eighth innings and held a 6-3 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth. With a runner on and no outs, Urias launched a long home run to left field, cutting Durham’s advantage to 6-5.
Though Tides reliever Eric Hanhold tossed a 1-2-3 top of the ninth, Durham’s Adam Conley retired the top of the Norfolk order in the bottom of the ninth to earn the save and improve the Bulls’ record to 28-13.
Tides starter Alex Wells (4.1IP, 7H, 4ER, 0BB, 5K) pitched into the fifth inning, leaving with one out and a runner on third base. Wells entered the game having thrown nine scoreless innings against Durham this year and holding Bulls hitters to a .094 (3-for-32) batting average. Sunday’s contest snapped a streak in which Wells had won four straight decisions.
Left fielder Jahmai Jones went 0-for-2 with a run scored and three walks for Norfolk, losing a team season-high ten game hitting streak over which he had hit .410 (16-for-39). He has posted a .489 on-base percentage over 10 games since returning from the injured list.
The Tides will be off on Monday before beginning another six-game series, this time against the Gwinnett Stripers, on Tuesday night. First pitch at Harbor Park is scheduled for 7:05.