Tides rally from 5 down, tie series

Anightaftersquanderingasevenrun lead, the Norfolk Tides overcame a five-run deficit Wednesday night to earn a series-leveling 7-6 victory over Lehigh Valley before 6,702 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Gunnar Henderson’s sacrifice fly drove in Jordan Westburg with the eventual winning run to cap a two-run ninth inning.

Bruce Zimmermann, recently sent down to the International League from the majors after struggling with Baltimore, began his night by giving up five runs in the second inning, but then pitched four shutout innings for the Tides. He struck out seven and walked three.

Trailing 5-0 after losing 10-7 Tuesday, the Tides (33-35) chipped away before pulling even at Coca-Cola Park. Shed Long Jr.’s two-run single cut the margin to 5-2 in the fifth, and Anthony Bemboom knocked in DJ Stewart with a single in the sixth to make it 6-3.

Jonathan Araúz hit a two-run single in the eighth for a 5-5 game.

The IronPigs (37-31) regained the lead in the bottom of the eighth, but Norfolk replied with two in the ninth for the victory off Braeden Ogle (1-2), Lehigh Valley’s eighth pitcher of the night.

Terrin Vavra led off the ninth with a walk and scored the tying run on a Westburg double. Westburg advanced to third on an error on that play, enabling him to break the 6-6 tie by racing home on Henderson’s fly to right.

Norfolk’s Morgan McSweeney pitched 1 innings for the victory, escaping trouble in the ninth. Will Toffey walked with two out, went to second on an errant pickoff attempt and took third on Scott Kingery’s infield single. But Daniel Robertson flew out to Vavra in center field to end the game.

It was first-year Tides skipper Buck Britton’s 250th managerial victory.

The six-game series continued Thursday night and Game 4 was scheduled for 7:05 p.m. today.