Samuel Basallo kept Norfolk alive with a big swing, and the Tides finished the job in the ninth.
At Triple-A, Norfolk erased an early five-run hole and came all the way back for a 9-8 win over the Gwinnett Stripers. The Tides were tied 8-8 heading into the bottom of the ninth, then Ryan Noda drew a walk, moved to third on a Payton Eeles single, and scored the winner on a sac fly from Bryan Ramos.
Norfolk’s rally started after the club trailed 8-3 in the third. Enrique Bradfield Jr. got it going with a single to cut the deficit to 8-4, and the rest of the inning turned into a steady climb back.
A wild pitch brought in another run, Basallo lined a two-run double, and Rece Hinds added an RBI single to pull the Tides even. Heston Kjerstad also chipped in with an RBI single during the comeback.
Basallo finished with three RBIs in the game, while Eeles went 2-for-4 with a walk. Ramos also had a strong night, going 2-for-3 and scoring three runs. Brandon Butterworth added a single and a walk.
On the mound, Michael Forret had a rough outing and was tagged for eight runs over five innings. Cameron Weston, Yaqui Rivera and Yaramil Hiraldo handled the rest with four scoreless innings to help set up the late push.
In Delmarva, the Shorebirds beat the Salem RidgeYaks 8-5 after building momentum from the middle innings on. Salem struck first, but Delmarva answered when Eric Booth Jr. drew a leadoff walk and later scored on a sac fly. Jerome Nuel, who was recently promoted from the FCL, followed with a one-run single to make it 2-0, and Stiven Martínez later launched a third-inning homer.
After Salem tied the game, Ty Head delivered the knockout blow with a three-run homer that put Delmarva ahead 6-3.
Francisco Morao, Kailen Hamson, Jack Crowder, Andrew Herbert and Brendan Parks combined on the mound for the Shorebirds. The five pitchers allowed five runs on six hits, with Morao giving up two runs, Hamson one and Herbert two. Crowder and Parks each threw scoreless innings.
The Double-A game between Chesapeake and Reading was canceled because of rain, and Frederick’s High-A matchup with Bowling Green was canceled because of wet grounds. There are no scheduled games on Monday, August 17.
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