After seeing Charlotte come back from a 10-run first-inning deficit, the Norfolk Tides scored in the 10th to edge the Knights 11-10 Friday night before 6,146 at Truist Field in North Carolina.
Errol Robinson’s single to left field drove in the eventual winning run.
Loaded with high-caliber prospects, the defending Triple-A national champion Tides (6-1) have won the first four of the seven-game International League series and have scored at least nine runs in all six victories.
Norfolk, which had won 26-11 and 9-8 the previous two days, plated 10 runs in the first inning and seemed on the way to a rout. Most of the carnage came against starter Jake Woodford.
Heston Kjerstad, who set a Tides record with 10 RBIs Wednesday, slugged a three-run homer to start the scoring after Jackson Holliday walked and Connor Norby singled.
Coby Mayo was hit by a pitch, and Kyle Stowers belted a home run for a 5-0 lead. Peyton Burdick’s walk and consecutive singles by Maton and Michael Perez made it 6-0, still with none out.
After a forceout and a Holliday walk, Charlotte manager x replaced Wooford with Touki Toussaint. But he hit Norby with a pitch and issued bases-loaded walks to Kjerstad and Mayo. Stowers’ groundout brought in Norby with the last run.
Led by Chuckie Robinson’s three hits and four RBIs, the Knights (1-6) began chipping away.
In the bottom of the first, Tides starter Bruce Zimmermann yielded a two-run single to Robinson and a two-run double to Carlos Perez.
A Chuckie Robinson homer, Oscar Colas’ two-run single and a Robinson RBI single made it 10-9, and Zach Remillard tripled and scored on a double play for a 10-10 game in the fifth.
Then pitchers began to dominate until the 10th, when each team got a gifted runner at second base. Errol Robinson’s hit brought home Nick Maton for an 11-10 lead.
In the bottom of the 10th, Norfolk reliever Wandisson Charles sandwiched two strikeouts around a walk. A wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third, but he induced Mark Payton to ground out to Maton at first to end the game.
Trade
Also Friday, Tides infielder/outfielder Diego Castillo was traded from Baltimore to the Minnesota Twins for cash considerations. He was 4 for 13 with the Tides and had been in the Orioles’ organization since Feb. 16, when he was claimed off waivers from Philadelphia.