NORFOLK, Va. - It was a day to celebrate the return of professional baseball to Hampton Roads, even though it looked like the Tides left most of their bats in Durham.
Norfolk only managed four hits and fell to the visiting Gwinnett Stripers on Tuesday night, 6-1, in the team's home opener at Harbor Park. The contest opened a six-game series between the two squads.
"I didn't think we were going to go 150-0, but we really played well the first three nights and the bats just didn't get going tonight, but we'll be alright," Tides' manager Buck Britton said after the game.
Eli White got the visitors on the board with a lead-off home run off of Norfolk starter D.L. Hall. Ryan O'Hearn answered with a solo shot of his own in the bottom of the second, but that was the only offense the Tides could muster. Gwinnett added two runs in the third and three scores in the sixth to round out the scoring.
Hall lasted just three innings, giving up three earned runs while striking out six and walking two batters in his 2023 debut.
Despite the loss, there was a buzz of energy around Harbor Park. 9,229 fans filled the seats, eager to see the national pastime return to the Mermaid City.
"It's fun to play in these type of environments and [we] came up short, but looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow," Britton said.
The defeat came after a hot start for the Tides. Norfolk swept a weekend series in Durham to open the season, winning its season opener for the first time since 2007 and jumping out to its first 3-0 start since 2002.
The team also learned that one of its top pitchers is heading to the big leagues. Grayson Rodriguez was called up by the Orioles on Tuesday and is expected to make his Major League debut on Wednesday against the Wednesday. Rodriguez started the season opener at Durham for Norfolk on Friday, pitching four innings and allowing two earned runs. He struck out two and walked four batters during his first outing of the season.
The Tides and Stripers return to the field on Wednesday with a 6:35 PM scheduled first pitch.
