NORFOLK, Va (Courtesy of the Norfolk Tides) — The Norfolk Tides (7-8) fell to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (10-4), 6-5, on Sunday at Harbor Park. The Tides get swept in the six-game homestand and have lost seven straight after starting the season 7-1.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre scored for the first time once again this afternoon, with Josh Breaux blasting a three-run homer to left in the second. Norfolk responded with two runs in the bottom-half when Connor Norby knocked an RBI single and Heston Kjerstad hit a sac fly to right to make it a 3-2 game.
The Tides managed to tie the game up in the bottom of the third when Maverick Handley knocked an RBI double down the left field line. But this time it was the RailRiders who responded immediately, when Josh Groshans knocked a pinch hit RBI single to put Scranton/Wilkes-Barre up, 4-3.
It was all pitching by both teams’ bullpens from then on. Nolan Hoffman relieved Norfolk starter Justin Armbruester after 3.1 innings. Hoffman tossed 1.2 scoreless innings while striking out two. Luis González followed Hoffman and faced the minimum through 2.0 innings while striking out four. On the other side, Oddanier Mosquesda, Yarlin Calderon, and Duane Underwood Jr. combined for 4.1 scoreless innings.
The RailRiders broke up the solid pitching in the eighth when Breaux hit his second home run of the game. This time, it was a two-run shot to put them up 6-3. Anthony Misiewicz came in to close the game for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and found some trouble from the Tides. Norfolk scored two more runs when Coby Mayo hit a sac fly and Kyle Stowers hit an RBI double. Stowers reached third base with two outs but the Tides couldn’t capitalize as they lost, 6-5.
The Tides will head to Jacksonville after a league off day Monday. First pitch is at 11:05 a.m., with neither team announcing their probables.
POSTGAME NOTES
Sit ‘Em Down: The Tides pitching staff combined for 14 strikeouts for a second sconsecutive game, with five coming from Justin Armbruester, two from Nolan Hoffman, and four from Luis González, two from Bryan Baker, and one from Wandisson Charles…the 14 strikeouts matched a season team-high, the fourth time they’ve done so and are 1-3 in those games (March 29 vs. Durham, 12-8 W | April 7 at Charlotte, 6-2 L)…Norfolk is only in the International League to start the season with at least nine strikeouts in the first 15 games of the season…the Tides carry an active 17-game streak with at least nine strikeouts by their staff, dating back to September 23, 2023 at Buffalo…since 2005, that’s the longest such streak in franchise history….Norfolk currently ranks first in the International League in strikeouts with 164.
