Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 9, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp 3
The Tides scored five runs in the 6th inning to propel them to a series-opening victory over the Jumbo Shrimp.
Norfolk came into the bottom of the 6th down 3-2, having scored two runs on a pair of doubles by Bryan Ramos and Enrique Bradfield Jr. in the 3rd. After Jacksonville took the lead on a solo homer in the top of the 6th, Payton Eeles kicked off a rally in the 6th with a one-out walk. Rece Hinds brought him in on a towering two-run home run to left-center.
Ryan Noda then reached base on a HBP
and immediately scored on a Brandon Butterworth bomb to left field. Jud Fabian continued the rally with a walk before moving to third on a Sam Huff single. With Ramos batting, Jacksonville reliever Amos Willingham uncorked a wild pitch to bring home Fabian and give Norfolk a 7-3 lead.
The Tides added a pair of insurance runs in the 8th. After two quick outs, Huff walked to keep the inning alive. Ramos reached via catcher interference and both moved into scoring position after a wild pitch. Bradfield then smashed a ball into the left-center gap, driving home both Huff and Ramos while speeding his way around the bases for a triple. The 2023 first-round draft pick was the offensive star for Norfolk Tuesday, finishing 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs, a stolen base and 6 total bases.
Trey Gibson was sharp for the Tides early, pitching five strong innings to give them the platform for their comeback. The 24-year-old right-hander put up a final line of 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB and 0 K, lowering his season ERA at Norfolk to 3.96.
Box Score
Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox 6, Portland Sea Dogs 4
Like their Triple-A counterparts, the Baysox used a five-run 6th inning to race past the Sea Dogs and win their series opener.
After a two-run homer in the 3rd put the Sea Dogs up 2-0, the Baysox finally roared back three innings later. Aron Estrada started the rally with a single to right to put a base runner on for Vance Honeycutt. The 2024 first-rounder blasted his second Double-A homer deep to right-center to tie the game at two.
Ethan Anderson then made it back-to-back jacks, sending a solo shot flying over the left field fence for a 3-2 lead. Those long balls chased Portland starter Dalton Rogers, but the bullpen didn’t fare much better. Wehiwa Aloy and Victor Figueroa continued the rally with back-to-back singles before a Dom Keegan HBP loaded the bases. Thomas Sosa then slashed a single through the left side to score two and put Chesapeake up 5-2.
After Portland got a run back in the 7th, Aloy and Figueroa would give the Baysox an insurance run in the 8th. Aloy led off the inning with an infield single, stole second and moved to third on an errant throw down by Portland’s catcher. Figueroa then lined a single up the middle to bring home Chesapeake’s SS and put the Baysox up four.
In his last start of the season in Bowie, lefty Caden Hunter was his usual sharp self. He didn’t allow a hit until the 3rd inning, when a leadoff double turned into two runs after a one-out home run. Hunter ended the 3rd on a strikeout and then picked up a pair of strikeouts in the 4th and 5th to punctuate a strong outing. The lefty finished with a line of 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB and 9 Ks, and now has 147 strikeouts in 99 innings this season.
Box Score
High-A: Frederick Keys 6, Brooklyn Cyclones 4
A three-run 2nd inning put the Keys ahead for good, as insurance runs in the 4th, 6th and 7th sealed their win over the Cylcones.
The start to Tuesday’s game was delayed by more than two hours due to weather, limiting the Keys and Cyclones to play a seven-inning game. After Brooklyn raced out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st, Frederick responded with a rally of their own in the top of the 2nd. The first three batters all reached via walks to load the bases. With one out, Braylon Whitaker grounded into a fielder’s choice at second that brought home Braylin Tavera for Frederick’s first run. DJ Layton then doubled to center to clear the bases and put the Keys up 3-2.
The score would remain the same until the 4th, when Colin Yeaman led off the inning with a walk. Yeaman then proceeded to manufacture his own run, stealing second and third before scoring on a wild pitch. Walks again killed the Cyclones in the 5th, as Leandro Arias reached on a one-out free pass. Arias moved to second on a balk before scoring on a Tavera single to grow the lead to 5-2.
A Brooklyn homer in the 6th cut the Keys’ lead to two, but they’d get that run back in the 7th. Layton led off the inning with a walk and then moved to third on a bunt single. After Jaiden Lo Re reached via HBP, Arias grounded into a 4-6-3 double play that brought home Layton for Frederick’s sixth run. The Cyclones would hit a solo home run with two outs in the 7th to make it 6-4, but couldn’t extend the rally any further.
Box Score
The Keys and Cyclones also completed a game from July 5th that was suspended due to lightning. The game restarted tied at 2-2 with two outs in the top of the 7th. It would go to extras, with Yasmil Bucce winning it for Frederick with a walk-off single in the 10th
Box Score
Low-A: Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 6, Delmarva Shorebirds 2
A strong performance from Eric Booth Jr. wasn’t enough to propel the Shorebirds, as the Cannon Ballers took an early lead and never looked back on Tuesday.
Kannapolis got on the board early, after back-to-back one-out singles kick-started a rally. After the two Cannon Ballers stole second and third, Grayson Fitzwater singled to right to score both runners and put Kannapolis up 2-0. The Cannon Ballers then extended that lead in the 4th, leading off the inning with a triple before scoring via a sac fly/pop-up into foul territory.
Delmarva would get a run back in the 5th thanks to some small ball. Joshua Liranzo started the inning with an infield single and moved to second on a wild pitch. Hector Campusano then bunted Liranzo over to third. Jhomnardo Reyes bounced an RBI groundout to short to bring home Liranzo and cut the deficit to 3-1. Booth then tried to extend the rally with a single and steal of second, only to be left stranded by a Stiven Martinez strikeout.
The Shorebirds had chances to further cut into the lead in the 6th and 7th. Delmarva began both innings with leadoff doubles, but each time the runner was left stranded as the Shorebirds finished the game 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Their second run of the game didn’t come until the 9th inning, when Booth slapped a single to left to drive home Campusano. However, that only cut the Cannon Ballers’ lead to 6-2 and Martinez would end the game with a fly out to center.
Box Score
Wednesday’s Scheduled Games
Norfolk Tides vs. Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, 6:35pm ET (Juaron Watts-Brown vs. Luis Palacios)
Chesapeake Baysox vs. Portland Sea Dogs, 6:35pm ET (Joseph Dzierwa vs. Hayden Mullins)
Frederick Keys at Brooklyn Cyclones, 6:40pm ET (Evan Yates vs. Emilio Obispo)
Delmarva Shorebirds vs. Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, 7:00pm ET (Iziah Salinas vs. TBD)
