Tides hit six HRs, win road opener
Cade Povich pitched six innings of one-hit ball, Heston Kjerstad hit two homers and drove in four runs and the Norfolk Tides finished with six homers in a 10-6 victory over the Charlotte Knights on Tuesday night before 8,133 fans at Truist Field in North Carolina.
The Tides (3-1) bounced back from a 17-5 loss to Durham on Sunday by scoring double-digit runs for the third time in four games.
Jackson Holliday led off the first inning with a solo homer for the second time this season, and Connor Norby followed him with another solo shot to give the Tides a 2-0 lead two batters in.
The score stayed that way until the top of the fifth, when Kjerstad hit a two-run shot to double the lead.
Meanwhile, Povich’s only flaw in his season debut was giving up a one-out single to Carlos Pérez in the fourth. Povich finished with five strikeouts and no walks.
Norfolk scored single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to take a 7-0 lead. Kyle Stowers hit a solo homer, Norby added a sac fly and Peyton Burdick scored on a throwing error by catcher Adam Hackenberg.
Charlotte (1-3) ended its offensive drought in the bottom of the eighth with Robbie Grossman’s solo homer.
The Tides scored three more runs in the top of the ninth on Errol Robinson’s solo homer and Kjerstad’s two-run shot to make it 10-1.
The Knights made it interesting in the bottom of the ninth, scoring five runs. Grossman’s grand slam was the big blow off Tides reliever Bryan Baker, who gave up all five in a third of an inning.
Nolan Hoffman replaced Baker and got the final two outs after allowing a single to end it.
Grossman finished 2 for 4 with five RBIs for Charlotte.
Game 2 of the scheduled six-game series was set for Wednesday night and Game 3 will be at 7:04 p.m. today.