IL Norfolk Tides

Rom Strikes Out 11 In Tides Fifth Straight Win

May 3, 2023 - International League (IL)
Norfolk Tides News Release


NORFOLK, VA - The Norfolk Tides (21-7) defeated the Durham Bulls (16-12), 9-1, on Wednesday night at Harbor Park. An excellent pitching performance backed by a strong offensive effort propelled the Tides to a win, their fifth consecutive victory.

A leadoff walk from Terrin Vavra followed by a Colton Cowser single gave the Tides life in the opening frame. Jordan Westburg took advantage by launching a home run just to the left of the batter's eye to give Norfolk a 3-0 lead.

The early advantage allowed Drew Rom to settle in as Norfolk's starting pitcher was able to execute through the first four innings by punching out nine Durham batters, two in each of the first three frames, while striking out the side in the fourth.

With Rom looking comfortable on the mound, the Tides supported the lefty's effort in the bottom of the fourth as Daz Cameron hit a three-run bomb off the scoreboard in left field. Norfolk would load the bases for Cowser who hit a deep fly ball to center to score a run on a sac fly, putting the Tides ahead by a score of 7-0.

Checking in with his first base hit of the game in the fifth was Anthony Bemboom who drove in a run with single up the middle to extend Norfolk's lead to eight. With that knock, every Tides starter had collected at least one hit in the contest. Josh Lester's third hit of the night came in the sixth when he drove in Cowser on a base hit through the left side of the infield to add another Norfolk run.

By the eighth inning, the Bulls would score their first run of the game with Kyle Manzardo doubling off the wall in left-center, but that would be all Durham could muster as the Tides closed out the game with a 9-1 victory.

Norfolk looks to record a season-best six game win streak against the Bulls tomorrow afternoon. Scheduled to start for the Tides is LHP DL Hall (0-1, 4.41). RHP Cooper Criswell was originally listed as the probable pitcher for Durham, but with his appearance in tonight's game, the Bulls' expected starter for tomorrow is TBD.

POSTGAME NOTES

Holy Cowser: Extending his on-base streak to 23 games tonight was Colton Cowser, where he went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, an RBI and a walk...he currently owns the longest on-base streak in the International League and it is also the longest overall this season...in that span (since April 5), he's hitting .369 (31-for-84) with 29 runs, six doubles, a triple, five home runs, 21 RBI, 21 walks, a hit-by-pitch and is slashing .505/.643/1.148.

The Rominator: With 11 punchouts tonight, Drew Rom set a new career-high in strikeouts...his previous career-best was nine, a feat he has accomplished five times throughout his career with the most recent occurrence happening last season on August 21 at Harbor Park when he tossed 4.2 innings of one-run ball against Durham.

The Daz-manian Devil: Hitting his fifth home run of the season tonight was Daz Cameron...the homer left his bat at 107.3 MPH and travelled 431 feet, making it the third longest home run hit by a Tides player this season...he now owns three of the ten furthest home runs on the team.

Check out the Norfolk Tides Statistics



International League Stories from May 3, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central