In a season full of highlights for the Norfolk Tides, Saturday night’s might have topped them all.
Trailing by 10 runs after 2 1/2 innings, the Tides rallied to upend Durham 13-12 at Harbor Park.
Given the Tides’ early 11-1 deficit, many in the listed crowd of 10,105 might have departed well before the 3-hour, 21-minute game finished. But those who stayed probably won’t forget it for a while.
Lewin Diaz ripped a game-ending single up the middle to bring home Daz Cameron in the ninth inning, ending a thrilling game that featured two home runs, four RBIs and three runs for Coby Mayo.
Connor Norby was 3 for 5 with three runs, while Cameron was 2 for 4 with two runs.
Norfolk (76-48, 28-22 in the International League’s second half) trailed 11-2 to Durham (69-56, 29-21) before erupting for six runs in the fifth inning to get back in the game. Mayo’s three-run homer and Josh Lester’s two-run homer cut the deficit to 11-8.
Durham’s Raimel Tapia and Norfolk’s Joey Ortiz traded RBI singles in the sixth, leaving the Bulls ahead 12-9.Mayo scored on Lester’s fielder’s-choice grounder in the seventh, and Stowers slugged a two-run homer to right-center in the eighth to tie the game at 12.
In the bottom of the ninth, Cameron hit an infield single and went to third on Lester’s single to right. Diaz, pinch-hitting for Maverick Handley, grounded a pitch into center field to spark a celebration.
SCENES. pic.twitter.com/tRwOYB0LFQ
— Norfolk Tides (@NorfolkTides) August 27, 2023
Kameron Misner and Niko Hulsizer hit two-run homers in the second inning off Grassfield High graduate Garrett Stallings, who endured his most difficult Triple-A start. He gave up eight earned runs, nine hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings.
Reliever Wandisson Charles earned the victory by striking out two in a pair of hitless innings. Javy Guerra incurred the loss, giving up four hits in two-thirds of an inning.
The Tides went ahead 4-1 in the series, whose last game is set for 4:05 p.m. Sunday.
