Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 7, Nashville Sounds (MIL) 6 – F/10

The Tides and Sounds played a back-and-forth game last night that saw five lead changes before it ended in extras. The bad news is that the Tides blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning. The good news is that the final lead change was in their favor. In the 10th, Enrique Bradfield, Jr. knocked in the tying run ahead of Weston Wilson, who walked it off.

Norfolk got on the board first on a two-run double by Jud Fabian. With Will Robertson and Willy Vazquez on base, Fabian hit a line drive to left field that drove them both in.

Early on, it seemed like two runs might be enough for starting pitcher Nestor German, who sailed through four innings with five strikeouts and just two baserunners. But he ran into some trouble in the fifth. He walked the first batter and then allowed three straight singles, the last of which scored two runs to tie the game. German finished the inning but did not return for the sixth. His final pitching line: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 5 K.

The Tides regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning on an RBI single from Will Robertson and a run-scoring groundout by Willy Vasquez. That left two runners on with one out, but Jud Fabian and Bradfield were unable to extend the rally.

A Ryan Noda home run in the eighth provided an insurance run to make it 5-2, which ended up being pretty important. Because in the top of the ninth, Cameron Foster came in to get the save. Instead, he blew it. He gave up four hits and a walk in the inning, starting with back-to-back doubles. The tying run came in to score on an error from Vasquez.

After the tying run came in, Foster struck out the next two batters to end the game, but the damage was done. The Tides could not score in the bottom of the ninth, and the game went to extra innings. Jose Espada pitched the 10th for the Tides. The Sounds started the inning with two straight singles, the second of which knocked in the extra-innings ghost runner.

In the bottom of the 10th, Robertson led off with a single. The Tides’ ghost runner moved to third, but the next two batters were retired quickly to put the team without one out of a loss. But Bradfield lined a single to center field to knock in one run, and Wilson followed with a single of his own. Robertson scored to give the Tides their second win of the young season.

Tides vs. Sounds, 1:05: Starter: Levi Wells