Christopher Morel did the heavy lifting Wednesday night, and the Norfolk Tides never found a way to answer.
Morel homered, doubled and drove in five runs to power the Syracuse Mets past Norfolk 9-3 in the opening game of a doubleheader at Harbor Park. The second game was still underway at press time.
The matchup came together after Tuesday night’s series opener was postponed because of inclement weather, turning Wednesday into a two-game day.
Norfolk’s rough stretch rolled on with the loss. The Tides fell to 2-10 in the second half and 30-57 overall, and the defeat was their fourth straight. Syracuse, meanwhile, improved to 7-6 in the second half and 45-43 overall after entering the series having dropped four of six.
The game turned in a hurry once the Mets got to Cade Povich. Syracuse scored seven runs against the Norfolk starter, who was charged with six hits and four walks over 3 1/3 innings. Cameron Weston followed and gave up two more runs in 2/3 of an inning.
The Mets put the game out of reach with a five-run fourth inning after leading 4-2. Morel’s two-run double was the big swing in that frame, and Christian Arroyo and Ryan Clifford each finished with two runs scored and an RBI.
Norfolk did get something going in the third, when Johnathan Rodríguez and Heston Kjerstad each delivered RBI singles. Bryan Ramos added an RBI double in the seventh, but the Tides never seriously threatened after Syracuse’s big inning.
There was also a tense moment in the third, when Tides third baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand and manager Tim Federowicz were ejected.
On the mound, Syracuse starter Zach Thornton worked just two innings but didn’t allow a hit and struck out five. Daniel Duarte, the third Mets pitcher, earned the win after throwing 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
The teams are scheduled to continue the series at 6:35 p.m. Thursday for Soccer Night at Harbor Park.
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