Enrique Bradfield Jr. used his speed to steal a victory for Chesapeake while the Shorebirds home opener got postponed due to poor field conditions.
Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 8, Gwinnett Stripers (Braves) 7 (F/10)
Despite racing out to an early lead, the Tides needed extras to down the Stripers with Maverick Handley delivering the walk-off single in the 10th. Early on it looked like the Tides would coast to a victory thanks to a four-spot in the bottom of the second. Trailing 1-0, Emmanuel Rivera led off the inning with a walk before Jud Fabian took a hanging splitter and launched it into CF for his fourth homer of the season. Norfolk would then load the bases with two outs and Coby Mayo delivered two more runs on a ground ball through the left side.
Jud Fabian is on fire, hitting his 4th home run of the season 417 feet! Tides lead 2-1. pic.twitter.com/3nMVX6UtZ8
— Norfolk Tides (@NorfolkTides) April 8, 2025
Gwinnett scored in the third and fifth to cut the Norfolk lead to 4-3 and put the Tides in need of some insurance runs. Handley delivered the first insurance run in the sixth, singling home Livan Soto from second to make it 5-3. Fabian then picked up his third RBI of the day in the seventh, lofting a one-out single to CF to drive home Vimael Machín from second. Terrin Vavra would then single to load the bases, allowing a Handley walk to force in Norfolk’s seventh run.
Luis González gave up a solo HR to begin the top of the 9th, forcing Tides manager Tim Federowicz to turn to Rodolfo Martinez for the save. The 31-year-old Dominican loaded the bases thanks to an error and two walks, before surrendering a pair of singles that allowed Gwinnett to tie the game and send it to extras.
Corbin Martin stranded the Stripers’ Manfred Man in the top of the 10th, setting the stage for Handley’s walk-off winner. Vavra started the bottom half of the frame by bunting Norfolk’s Manfred Man to third. Handley then worked the count full before pouncing on a hanging slider, lining it into left and driving home Vavra to end the game.
Handley’s game-winning hit continued a theme of Norfolk getting big-time production from the bottom of the order. The Tides’ 6-9 hitters (Fabian, Soto, Vavra, Handley) combined to go 8-16 with five runs, five RBIs and three walks.
Double-A: Chesapeake Baysox 5, Erie SeaWolves (Tigers) 4
Enrique Bradfield Jr. got on and came around to score the winning run without the Baysox ever putting the ball in play, as Chesapeake squeaked by SeaWolves. Bradfield also kicked off the game’s scoring after reaching on a single in the third and advancing to second on an error by the RF. The speedster then moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Jeremiah Jackson single. Three-hole hitter Creed Willems bunted Jackson to second before Silas Ardoin drove him home with a single up the middle, giving Chesapeake a 2-0 lead.
The SeaWolves would steal back the lead thanks to a big rally in the sixth. After getting on the board with some small ball in the fifth, Erie led off the sixth with a HBP. Jake Bolton then got hold of a 2-0 pitch and hammered it over the center field wall for a two-run homer and a 3-2 Seawolves lead. Baysox reliever Gerald Ogando loaded the bases on a double and two walks, before Dylan Coleman walked in a run to extend Erie’s lead to 4-2.
Willems kicked off a Baysox rally in the bottom of the sixth, leading off the inning with a double. Frederick Bencosme then reached on a bunt single, moving Willems to third, before both came home on a Tavian Josenberger RBI triple.
With the game tied at four, Bradfield came up with one out in the seventh. The 2023 first-round pick reached on a five-pitch walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. EBJ stole his first bag of the year by swiping third and then raced home on the second wild pitch of the inning. Bradfield’s speed is one of the biggest weapons in the Orioles’ farm system and it gave Chesapeake the advantage they needed Tuesday night.
High-A: Jersey Shore Blue Claws (Phillies) 8, Aberdeen IronBirds 3
Reliever Jared Beck gave up a six-run seventh inning as the IronBirds spoiled an early lead in a loss to the Blue Claws. Aberdeen got on top early thanks to a pair of hits from a pair of Top 30 prospects. In the top of the second, Thomas Sosa lined a one-out double in center and came around to score on another double from Leandro Arias. Las year’s third-round pick Austin Overn then doubled that lead in the fourth, launching a solo HR to right to give Aberdeen a 2-0 advantage.
Starter Nestor German kept the Jersey Shore bats at bay over four innings, giving up only two hits while racking up five Ks. Wyatt Cheney then took over in the fifth and put up a pair of scoreless innings before handing it over to Beck.
Beck immediately created trouble for himself by walking the first two batters he faced. He then gave up a single to Jordan Dissin to give the Blue Claws their first run of the game. After walking the bases loaded, Beck gave up another single that saw Jersey Shore take a 3-2 lead. The final nail in Beck’s coffin came when he left a ball over the plate to Carson DeMartini, who blasted it over the RF fence for a three-run homer.
The IronBirds and Blue Claws would trade runs in the eighth. Arias then lead off the ninth with a single, but any potential rally died before it even started when Anderson De Los Santos grounded into a game-ending double play. Top picks from the 2024 draft Vance Honeycutt and Griff O’Ferrall combined to go 0-7 with three Ks.
Low-A: Delmarva Shorebirds vs. Fayetteville Woodpeckers (PPD—Field Conditions)
The Shorebirds’ home opener was postponed after officials deemed the field conditions unsafe for the players. The Shorebirds have yet to announce a makeup date.
Wednesday’s Games
Norfolk Tides vs. Gwinnett Stripers, 6:35pm ET (Thaddeus Ward vs. Davis Daniel)
Chesapeake Baysox vs. Erie Seawolves, 6:05pm ET (Ryan Long vs. Joseph Montalvo)
Aberdeen IronBirds at Jersey Shore Blue Claws, 6:35pm ET (Trey Gibson vs. Micah Ottenbreit)
Delmarva Shorebirds vs. Fayetteville Woodpeckers, 6:35pm ET (Michael Caldon vs. TBD)