NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- In a game they had to have, the Norfolk Tides came through, keeping their season alive and setting them up for a league crown.
Joey Ortiz knocked in three runs in his first action in nearly a month to fuel Norfolk to a 7-2 win over the Durham Bulls on Wednesday night in game two of the International League Championship Series. The Tides win sets up a deciding game three Thursday.
Norfolk dominated from start to finish. The Tides opened the scoring in the second inning with back-to-back solo home runs from Coby Mayo and Kyle Stowers. Ortiz tacked on two more runs in the fifth. With two runners on and the Bulls' infield drawn in, the second baseman hit a perfectly-placed single up the middle to bring home Mayo and Stowers and double the Norfolk advantage.
Lewin Diaz and Maverick Handley scored on two separate wild pitches in the sixth inning and Oritz tallied an RBI double in the seventh to round out the Tides' scoring. Durham plated two runs in the eighth, but would get no closer.
The Tides' pitching staff teamed up for a dominant outing. Cole Irvin opened the contest with three shutout innings and five strikeouts before handing the ball to Austin Voth, who would mow down the Bulls in his four innings of work. Voth gave up just two hits and struck out nine batters while not surrendering any walks.
Ortiz, who was playing for the first time since September 2 due to injury, finished the night 2-for-3 at the plate with the three RBI. Stowers reached base in all four plate appearances, going 3-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored.
Game three of the International League Championship Series gets going at 6:35 PM on Thursday night. The Tides are shooting for their first championship since 1985 while Durham aims for its third consecutive league title.
