Orioles minor league recap 9/20: Norby hits game-winning grand slam in Norfolk win

Connor Norby and Jackson Holliday were the stars of the show for the Tides as they came from behind to earn their 88th win of the season.

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 6, Buffalo Bisons (Blue Jays) 3

Connor Norby hit a go-ahead grand slam and the Tides double-play combination propelled Norfolk to a comeback victory over the Bisons. After a scoreless first inning, Norfolk got the scoring going in the top of the second. Ryan McKenna and Lewin Díaz worked back-to-back one-out walks and then Anthony Bemboom doubled to center field to give Norfolk an early 1-0 lead.

However, the Bisons responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the second to take the lead. After a one-out single, Buffalo LF Otto Lopez tripled to right to drive in the first run and then scored on a throwing error by Norby. Buffalo added to that lead in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a lead off HR. After that, the Norfolk pitching staff settled down, setting the Tides up to make their comeback.

Norfolk’s big rally came in the sixth inning. With one out, Josh Lester cut the Buffalo lead in half by launching a solo shot the opposite way to left-center field. Then, with two outs, Díaz, Bemboom and Jackson Holliday connected on back-to-back-to-back singles to load the bases for Norby. The powerful 2B then took a 1-2 hanging curveball and deposited it over the left field fence to give the Tides a 6-3 lead.

Norby and Holliday were the offensive stars for Norfolk as they kicked off their last series of the regular season. Holliday, the No. 1 prospect in baseball, went 3-4 with three singles and a walk, collecting his first three-hit game in Triple-A. The Tides also got a strong start from Justin Armbruester, who threw six innings, gave up three runs on three hits and struck out four.

Box Score

Wednesday’s scheduled game

• Norfolk Tides at Buffalo Bisons, 6:05pm ET. Garrett Stallings vs. TBD