NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk Tides (53-73) sent nine men to the plate in the bottom of the first inning and scored three times en route to a 5-1 win over the Gwinnett Stripers (72-54) Tuesday night in game two of the four-game series at Harbor Park
Scoring Recap: The Tides took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Rylan Bannon scored from first on a single and an error. An RBI double to left by Ryan Mountcastle made it 2-0 and later in the inning, Gwinnett starter Touki Toussaint issued a bases-loaded walk to Austin Wynns to make it a 3-0 game. The Stripers got on the board in the top of the second on an RBI single to left by Jack Lopez. The Tides collected a solo homer to right by Mountcastle (24) in the bottom of the second off Toussaint and a solo homer to left by Jose Rondon (2) in the bottom of the fifth off Grant Dayton for the 5-1 win.
Stripers Stats: Toussaint (L, 1-4) pitched 4.0 innings with six hits, four earned runs and five walks. Atlanta’s Grant Dayton, pitching on a rehab assignment worked 1.0 inning with two hits and one earned run. A.J. Minter went 2.0 innings with one hit and two strikeouts. Rafael De Paula tossed 1.0 inning with one hit, and one strikeout. At the plate, Lopez was 1-for-2 with an RBI.
Tides Stats: Bruce Zimmermann (W, 1-2) worked 7.0 innings with five hits and one run while striking out five. Jimmy Yacabonis pitched 1.0 inning with one hit and former Gwinnett pitcher Hunter Cervenka worked the top of the ninth with two strikeouts. Offensively, Mountcastle was 3-for-5 with a double, a homer and two RBIs.
Postgame Notes: Ryan LaMarre was 1-for-3 and increased his on-base streak to 27 games dating back to July 8th, it’s the longest active streak in the International League. The loss, combined with a 9-3 Charlotte win over Durham, puts the Stripers lead at 1.5 games over the Knights and 3.5 games over the Bulls. Since returning to Gwinnett, Minter is 1-0 with three saves and a 1.11 ERA (1 ER in 8.1 IP) in seven games.
Next Game (Wednesday, August 21): Gwinnett at Norfolk, 7:05 p.m., at Harbor Park. RHP Bryce Wilson (8-7, 3.58 ERA) for the Stripers vs. RHP David Hess (2-1, 4.20 ERA) for the Tides. Radio Broadcast: 6:50 p.m. on 97.7 and 93.5 FM “The Other Side of the River.”
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The Gwinnett Stripers are the Triple-A International League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, playing their 11th season at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville, Ga. For tickets, team merchandise or more information, visit GoStripers.com. Follow the Stripers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at GoStripers.