Daz Cameron’s double brought in the go-ahead run in the 11th inning, and the Norfolk Tides pulled out a 5-3 victory Saturday night before 10,567 at Nashville.
Reliever Nick Vespi (3-0) pitched three hitless innings, his longest stint in 2 1/2 years, for the victory.
The Tides (48-25), who clinched the International League first-half championship earlier in the week, improved to 3-2 in the series in Tennessee. The Sounds, Milwaukee’s top affiliate, dropped to 39-34 entering Sunday’s 3:05 p.m. series finale.
Outfielder Cedric Mullins was called up to Baltimore after a short rehabilitation stint with the Tides, but Ryan Mountcastle’s return from vertigo continued. He played first base and was 0 for 3 but scored a run.
The Tides employed a “bullpen game” because their scheduled starter, Bruce Zimmermann, was called up by the Orioles. Nashville went ahead off Eduard Bazardo in the second inning, thanks to Eddy Alvarez’s two-run single. But Norfolk relievers Kyle Dowdy, Joey Krehbiel and Easton Lucas combined to shut down Nashville for the rest of the regulation nine innings.
Sounds starter Robert Gasser, the IL strikeout leader, collected nine in 6 1/3 innings. The Tides’ only run off him came when Ramon Rodriguez crossed the plate on Heston Kjerstad’s groundout in the sixth. Rodriguez was playing his second game with the Tides after a promotion from Double-A Bowie; he’ll help replace Anthony Bemboom, who was recalled by the Orioles.
Josh Lester, just sent down Saturday by Baltimore, entered the game to replace infielder Connor Norby, who injured his leg. Lester lined a tying RBI single to bring home Mountcastle in the eighth.
In extra innings, when a runner starts at second base, Westburg singled home Colton Cowser in the top of the 10th. The Sounds extended the game when Abraham Toro’s sacrifice fly to Cowser in center brought in Brice Turang.
The decisive inning was the 11th. Lester, who began the inning at second base, came home when Cameron grounded a pitch down the left-field line. Reliever Alex Claudio (0-2) then balked and threw a wild pitch that prompted Cameron’s trip home.
The Sounds had runners at first and second in the 11th, and Michael Reed thrilled the crowd with a deep fly to left field. But the Tides’ Ben DeLuzio caught it, and Alvarez flew out to right field to end the contest.
