Orioles minor league recap 5/24: Norfolk wins thrilling high-scoring contest in extras

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 13, Memphis Redbirds 12 (F/11)

In a high-scoring battle between two of the International League’s best teams, the Tides tied the game in the 9th inning before winning things in extras. Throughout the game, big innings constantly shifted the balance of power between the two teams. After Daz Cameron and Lewin Diaz each drove home a run in the top of the 1st, the Redbirds responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning on two home runs. After Memphis jumped out to a 6-2 lead, Cameron came back with a two-run homer in the 3rd to make things 6-4. Later that inning, Anthony Bemboom reached on an error to drive home Diaz, before a bases loaded walk to Shayne Fontana tied the game at 6.

In the 6th inning, with Norfolk down 7-6, Josh Lester launched his 13th home run of the season to tie the game once again. After two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Norfolk, Bemboom tripled to clear the bases and give the Tides a 10-7 lead. That lead would last until the bottom of the 8th inning, when Memphis scored two runs on a triple of its own before Luken Baker doubled to tie things at 10. Jordan Walker would then single home Baker to give the Redbirds a 11-10 lead.

That Memphis rally set the stage for the game's dramatic final few innings. In the 9th, Fontana singled and stole second, before Connor Norby and Jordan Westburg walked to load the bases. With one out, Lester came up looking to give Norfolk a lead, but instead settled for a sharp ground ball to first that allowed Fontana to come home and tie the game.

In extras, Daz Cameron as the Manfred Man scored on a wild pitch in the 10th to give Norfolk a 12-11 lead. Memphis came back and tied things in the bottom of the 10th on a Baker single that scored its Manfred Man. Lightning struck twice in the top of the 11th, as Ben DeLuzio scrambled home on another wild pitch to give the Tides the 13-12 lead. Reliever Reed Garrett then worked a perfect bottom of the 11th, getting three outs on balls hit right at Tides fielders, and earning Norfolk a hard-fought win.

Box Score

Double-A: Bowie Baysox 7, Akron RubberDucks (Guardians) 2

Cade Povich and Connor Gillispie combined to dominate the RubberDucks over nine innings Tuesday night in the Baysox win. For the fourth time this season, Povich completed five innings, picking up seven strikeouts while only allowing four base runners. The only blemish against Povich came in the 2nd inning, when he allowed a lead off walk and Akron outfielder Jonathan Rodriguez followed it up with a two-run homer to left center. Povich cruised after that, striking out the side in the 2nd, working a perfect 3rd and not allowing another hit in the 3rd through 5th innings.

Gillispie then picked up the baton and ran with it, working four scoreless innings to close out the game and earn the save. The former ninth-round pick out of VCU has starred in a long relief role for Bowie this season, and showed that once again Tuesday. After the four scoreless innings, Gillispie’s ERA is down to 2.73 on the season and 1.84 in May.

Offensively, the Baysox were led by a trio of home runs from outfielders John Rhodes, Donta’ Williams and Heston Kjerstad. With the score tied at 2-2 in the 3rd, Rhodes launched his second homer of the season to left field, bringing home César Prieto and giving the Baysox a 4-2 lead. Kjerstad then hit a laser to center field in the 6th inning for his 10th home run of the season, bumping the Bowie lead to 5-2. Williams capped off the homer party in the 7th inning with two-run HR that also scored Rhodes. Kjerstad continues to be an offensive star for the Baysox this season, leading Bowie with 10 HRs and 20 RBIs, and is second in the entire Eastern League with a 1.022 OPS.

Box Score

High-A: Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies) 9, Aberdeen IronBirds 3

After taking a tie game into the 8th inning, the Aberdeen bullpen couldn’t keep the Jersey Shore offense contained in their loss Tuesday. Aberdeen got the scoring started in the 3rd inning when third baseman Max Wagner launched his sixth home run of the season to left field. The homer continued a hot stretch for the Aberdeen infielder, who is hitting .367 with a .500 slugging percentage over his last 10 games.

The BlueClaws took a two-run lead in the top of the 5th after a pair of two-out singles saw them score three runs and take a 3-1 advantage. Aberdeen would respond an inning later. Wagner led off the inning by being hit by a pitch before Jackson Holliday and Jud Fabian walked to load the bases. Hudson Haskin then hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Wagner before Dylan Beavers singled to right to tie the game.

Aberdeen reliever Trace Bright entered the game in the top of the 6th, working around a two-out double to put up a scoreless inning and giving Aberdeen the opportunity to rally and tie the game. Bright went back out for the 7th, working a perfect inning with two strikeouts.

Perhaps manager Robert Mercado went back to the Bright well one too many times, though, as his performance started to waver in the 8th inning. Jersey Shore outfielder Kendall Simmons led off the inning with a triple and later came home on a ground ball to shortstop, giving Jersey Shore a 4-3 lead. After giving up the lead in the 8th, the wheels fell off for Bright in the 9th. The BlueClaws started the inning with two singles and a walk to load the bases. Jersey Shore added its fifth run on a sac fly and two batters later Simmons singled home another run to chase Bright. Reliever Dylan Heid inherited a no-out, bases loaded situation and would allow two of the inherited runners to score, giving the Blue Claws a 9-3 and sinking any chance of an Aberdeen comeback.

Box Score

Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 11, Lynchburg Hillcats (Guardians) 3

The Shorebirds exploded for six runs in the 1st inning and used that early lead to coast to a win over the Hillcats. All of the runs came with two outs, as Creed Willems started off the scoring with a single that scored Elio Prado from second. Stiven Acevedo then singled to right to score Samuel Basallo. The inning should have ended on an Adam Crampton strikeout, but the third strike got past the catcher and Crampton ended up on first while Willems came home to score. Consecutive singles from Luis Gonzalez, Angel Tejada and Prado brought three more runs home before Carter Young finally ended the inning on a strikeout.

Things would quiet down until the 4th inning, when Lynchburg brought home its first run on a two-out single. Evidently, the Shorebirds took that one run personally, as they responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the 4th. Tejada led off the inning with a double and then Prado tripled to bring him home. Then, after Young and Basallo failed to bring home Prado, Douglas Hodo III finally delivered, singling to right field and growing Delmarva’s lead to 8-1.

After two more Lynchburg runs in the 6th inning, the Shorebirds finished their offensive outburst in 6th and 7th. Basallo hit a line drive double to score Young in the 6th, before Tejada put a bow on the scoring with a two-run homer to right in the 7th. Tejada and Prado led were the offensive stars for Delmarva Tuesday—Tejada finishing 3-4 with a double, HR and 3 RBIs, while Prado went 3-3 with the triple, two runs scored and two RBIs.

Box Score

Wednesday’s Schedule

• Norfolk Tides at Memphis Redbirds, 1:05pm ET. Cole Irvin vs. TBD
• Bowie Baysox at Akron RubberDucks, 6:35pm ET. TBD vs. Doug Nikhazy
• Aberdeen IronBirds vs. Jersey Shore BlueClaws, 5:05pm ET (Game 1). Alex Pham vs. Alex Garbicks
• Aberdeen IronBirds vs. Jersey Shore BlueClaws, TBD (Game 2). TBD vs. TBD
• Delmarva Shorebirds vs. Lynchburg Hillcats, 7:05pm ET. Bradley Brehmer vs. TBD