NORFOLK 11, CHARLOTTE 10, 10 INNINGS (LATE FRIDAY) Tides score 10 in 1st, but need 10 innings to win
After seeing Charlotte come back from a 10-run first-inning deficit, the Norfolk Tides scored in the 10th to edge the Knights 11-10 Friday night before 6,146 at Truist Field in North Carolina.
Errol Robinson’s single to left field drove in the eventual winning run.
Loaded with high-caliber prospects, the defending Triple-A national champion Tides (6-1) have won the first four of the sevengame International League series and have scored at least nine runs in all six of their victories.
Norfolk, which had won 26-11 and 9-8 the previous two days, plated 10 runs in the first inning and seemed on the way to a rout. Most of the carnage came against starter Jake Woodford.
Heston Kjerstad, who set a Tides record with 10 RBIs Wednesday, slugged a three-run homer to start the scoring after Jackson Holliday walked and Connor Norby singled. Kjerstad has six homers and 21 RBIs in his past four games.
Coby Mayo was hit by a pitch, and Kyle Stowers belted a home run for a 5-0 lead. Peyton Burdick’s walk and consecutive singles by Nick Maton and Michael Perez made it 6-0, still with none out.
After a forceout and a Holliday walk, Charlotte manager Justin Jirschele replaced Wooford with Touki Toussaint. But he hit Norby with a pitch and issued basesloaded walks to Kjerstad and
INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE EAST DIVISION
W-L
Pct. GB
Norfolk (Baltimore) 6-1 .857 — Rochester (Wash.) 2-1 .667 2 Scranton/WB (Yanks) 3-2 .600 2 Jacksonville (Miami) 4-3 .571 2 Buffalo (Toronto) 2-2 .500 2 Worcester (Boston) 3-3 .500 2½ Syracuse (N.Y. Mets) 2-3 .400 3 Lehigh Valley (Phillies) 1-2 .333 3 Durham (Tampa Bay) 2-5 .286 4 Charlotte (White Sox) 1-6 .143 5
Mayo. Stowers’ groundout brought in Norby with the last run.
Led by Chuckie Robinson’s three hits and four RBIs, the Knights (1-6) began chipping away.
In the bottom of the first, Tides starter Bruce Zimmermann yielded a two-run single to Robinson and a two-run double to Carlos Perez.
A Chuckie Robinson homer, Oscar Colas’ two-run single and a Robinson RBI single made it 10-9, and Zach Remillard tripled and scored on a double play for a 10-10 game in the fifth.
Then pitchers began to dominate until the 10th, when each team got a gifted runner at second base. Errol Robinson’s hit brought home Maton for an 11-10 lead.
In the bottom of the 10th, Norfolk reliever Wandisson Charles sandwiched two strikeouts around a walk. A wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third, but he induced Mark Payton to ground out to Maton at first to end the game.
The teams were set to play Saturday night and conclude the series at 1:05 p.m. today.
Trade
Also Friday, the Baltimore Orioles traded Tides infielder/ outfielder Diego Castillo to the Minnesota Twins for cash considerations. He was 4 for 13 with the Tides and had been in the Orioles organization since Feb. 16, when he was claimed off waivers from Philadelphia.