Heston Kjerstad represented a bright spot while a majority of hitters struggled on the farm.
Triple-A: Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins) 3, Norfolk Tides 1
Heston Kjerstad accounted for nearly all the offense for Norfolk. Kjerstad scored the only run with a two-out solo homer in the fifth inning. He finished the day 3-for-3 and also worked a walk.
The Tides are on the board! @hestonkjerstad blasts his league leading 8th home run of the season!#RisingTide pic.twitter.com/z8pbfCH4sv
— Norfolk Tides (@NorfolkTides) April 19, 2024
Connor Norby, Coby Mayo and Kyle Stowers combined to go 1-for-11. Stowers hit a ground-rule double in the third, and Norby took a walk from the leadoff spot. Ryan McKenna went 1-for-4, and Daniel Johnson picked up a double in three trips.
Bruce Zimmermann started for Norfolk after missing out on a major league appearance. Many tabbed Zimmermann as a potential fill in for Tyler Wells, but Baltimore turned to Albert Suárez on Wednesday. We all know how things turned out for Suárez in Baltimore. Zimmermann allowed a pair of earned runs over five innings for the Tides.
Bryan Baker worked a scoreless eighth with a pair of strikeouts.
Double-A: Altoona Curve (Pirates) 7, Bowie Baysox 6
Bowie scored four runs in the final three frames but failed to complete the comeback. Pirates prospect, and former Clemson quarterback commit, Bubba Chandler limited Bowie to a pair of runs over five innings. Samuel Basallo and Frederick Bencosme did the only damage against Chandler with a pair of RBI singles in the third inning.
Both Basallo and Bencosme finished 2-for-5 with an RBI. Jud Fabian tallied four of Bowie’s 11 hits with a double, three singles, and a base on balls for good measure. Dylan Beavers doubled and took a walk in five plate appearances.
Alex Pham allowed six earned in just four innings. Zach Peek kept the Baysox in the game with four innings of one run ball, and Kade Strowd worked a spotless ninth inning.
High-A: Hudson Valley Renegades (Yankees) 8, Aberdeen IronBirds 7
The IronBirds entered the ninth trailing by two but managed to even the score. Hudson Haskin plated Reed Trimble to trim the deficit to one, and Mac Horvath drove in Tavian Josenberger to even the score.
Enrique Bradfield Jr. finished 1-for-5 with a pair of stolen bases.
Unfortunately, Deivy Cruz allowed Hudson Valley to celebrate. Cruz plunked the leadoff hitter and allowed a single to put two on with nobody out. The pair of runners advanced on a passed ball, and the winning run came in to score on a wild pitch. Cruz allowed a pair of runs over the final 2.1 innings.
Levi Wells failed to complete the first inning after allowing three runs on a hit and three walks.
Low-A: Down East Wood Ducks 8, Delmarva Shorebirds 2
Delmarva never really competed in this one. The Shorebirds picked up runs in the seventh and eighth innings on a groundout and a balk. Angel Tejada recorded two of Delmarva’s five hits. Both Thomas Sosa and Braylin Tavera notched doubles in four at bats.
Friday’s Schedule:
- Norfolk: at Jacksonville, 7:05. SP: Cade Povich (1-1, 1.10 ERA)
- Bowie: vs Altoona, 7:05. SP: Kyle Brnovich (0-0, 3.38 ERA)
- Aberdeen: at Hudson Valley, 7:05 SP: Jackson Baumeister (0-0, 1.50 ERA)
- Delmarva: at Down East, 7:00. SP: Luis De León (0-1, 2.35 ERA)