IL1 Norfolk Tides

Norfolk Sweeps Doubleheader from Durham

Published on July 24, 2015 under International League (IL1)
Norfolk Tides News Release


Norfolk used a strong outing from Zach Davies and a clutch effort from the bullpen to sweep a modified doubleheader from the Durham Bulls in front of 8,203 fans at Harbor Park Friday night. The Tides won game one, 2-0, before edging the Bulls in the nightcap, 3-2.

Game one of the twinbill was the continuation of a suspended game from July 3, a contest that was originally delayed due to heavy rains with no score in the top of the fifth frame. The Tides used RBI singles from Christian Walker and Dariel Alvarez and a strong effort from the bullpen to blank the Bulls, 2-0.

Former Tide Jim Miller (3-2) started the fifth inning for Durham but ran into trouble in the sixth, as Henry Urrutia opened the frame with a single before moving to second on a walk to Derrik Gibson. Walker followed with a single to right to score Urrutia, and Alvarez followed by chopping a single through the left side to give Norfolk a 2-0 lead.

The two runs were enough for Norfolk's relief corps, as Steve Johnson (4-1), Dana Eveland and Oliver Drake fired five shutout innings to help the Tides register their 11th shutout of the season. Johnson earned the win with three shutout innings, while Drake picked up the save after striking out the side in the ninth in his first outing off the disabled list.

In the nightcap, Davies (4-6) picked up the win after throwing six strong innings as Norfolk topped the Bulls, 3-2.

In a battle of top pitching prospects, Davies - the #4 prospect in the Orioles system - topped Durham starter Blake Snell (0-1) - the #4 prospect in the Tampa Bay organization who was making his Triple-A debut. Davies yielded two runs on six hits without walking a batter, striking out four while needing just 80 pitches to navigate his outing.

Norfolk gave Davies an early lead in the third frame, as Sharlon Schoop lofted an opposite field homer off of Snell - his first Triple-A home run - to give the Tides a 1-0 lead. Norfolk then added two runs in the fifth inning on an RBI groundout by Alvarez and a run-scoring single by Sean Halton.

After Durham plated two runs in the sixth to pull within 3-2, Pedro Beato worked a perfect seventh frame to register his 11th save of the season.

Walker had three hits in the nightcap to extend his hitting streak to eight games, over which he's hit .441 (15-34) with four home runs, five doubles and 13 RBI.

With the doubleheader sweep, Norfolk (58-41) moved a season-high 17 games over the .500 mark and now owns the best record in the International League. The Tides also upped their lead in the IL South division to 2.0 games over Charlotte.

The two clubs will continue their series Saturday night at Harbor Park, with first pitch slated for 7:05. Chris Jones (6-4, 2.79) gets the start for Norfolk against right-hander Dylan Floro (8-9, 4.59).

Saturday is Camera Night at Harbor Park, as fans can take photos on the field with Tides players from 5:45 - 6:15 pm, courtesy of Canon. There will also be a special appearance by the Oriole Bird during the game, which will be followed by a postgame fireworks show.

Notes: All statistics from the game one contest were calculated as if the entire game took place on July 3...Rey Navarro singled in the nightcap to extend his hitting streak to nine games...Norfolk has won five straight games, with the starting pitcher earning a win in each of those five contests...The Tides did not walk a batter over 12.0 innings in the twinbill.

Check out the Norfolk Tides Statistics

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International League Stories from July 24, 2015


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