JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Payton Eeles’ (1) grand slam lifted the Norfolk Tides to an 8-3 win over the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Friday night in front of 6,670 fans at VyStar Ballpark.
Trailing 1-0 in the top of the third, Norfolk’s (19-31) offense erupted. After a double play put two outs on the board, Michael Sianiand Heston Kjerstad drew consecutive walks. Christian Encarnacion-Strand evened the game with an RBI single. In the ensuing at-bat, Cade Willems walked to load the bases and Eeles crushed a grand slam, pushing the advantage to 5-1.
Jacksonville (27-22) responded right away with a leadoff homer from Jared Serna (3), cutting the deficit to 5-2.
After a scoreless top of the fourth, Jesús Bastidas (6) hammered a solo homer off Norfolk hurler Nelson German (W, 2-1), making it a two-run game.
The Tides pulled away adding a run in the fifth. Three-straight singles from Kjerstad, Encarnacion-Strand and Willems padded the lead to 6-3.
Norfolk’s final tallies came in the top of the sixth inning. Ryan Noda drew a walk and Jud Fabian followed two batters later with a one-out walk. Two batters later, following a double steal, Kjerstad smacked a two-run single, increasing the advantage to 8-3.
Jacksonville took the initial lead in the bottom of the first. Andrew Pintar singled, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Berry followed with a sacrifice fly, putting the Jumbo Shrimp ahead 1-0.
Jacksonville and Norfolk continue their series in Saturday’s 6:35 p.m. contest. LHP Patrick Monteverde (0-2, 6.67 ERA) gets the ball for the Jumbo Shrimp and the Tides will counter with RHP Cameron Weston (0-1, 6.56 ERA). Coverage begins at 6:20 p.m. on Bally Live, MLB.tv, MiLB.tv, ESPN 690 and ESPN690.com.
Join the Jumbo Shrimp Saturday as they play as the Jacksonville Honey Drippers in their colorful hats and jerseys. They will pay homage to the delicious frozen treat that is enjoyed in the South by many names but enjoyed in Duval as a Honey Dripper. To celebrate Honey Dripper Weekend, join the Jumbo Shrimp for their second block party at the Baptist Health Centerfield Plaza starting at 4 pm. Make sure to be one of the first 2,000 fans through the Main Gate on Georgia St. to receive a double-sided sunshield presented by Arlington Toyota & VyStar Credit Union. \*1 giveaway per person, NOT per ticket** ** Giveaways only available when entering at the Main Gate on Georgia St.***
ABOUT THE JUMBO SHRIMP: The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins and compete in the International League. The 2025 International League and Triple-A National Champions, the Jumbo Shrimp call VyStar Ballpark home for baseball but also a wide variety of additional community focused events with a goal of providing Affordable, Family, FUN to Northeast Florida. Winners of many marketing and sales awards and recognition since the team was rebranded prior to the 2017 season, the Jumbo Shrimp continually lead the state of Florida in attendance across all minor league professional sports organizations.