MOOSIC, PA (July 5, 2026) – The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders defeated the Norfolk Tides Sunday at PNC Field. The home team took game one, 5-2, on a walk-off grand slam by Jonathan Ornelas to win the series, but game two was canceled due to inclement weather after only reaching the second inning. Rainout information can be found below.
Game one featured a battle between a pair of top Minor League pitching prospects, with Yankees #11 Kyle Carr, who made his Triple-A debut, facing Orioles #10 Nestor German.
Carr worked around back-to-back walks to start the top of the second, striking out a pair and getting help from catcher J.C. Escarra, who caught José Barrero stealing second to close the inning clean.
The RailRiders could not mount any runs against German, managing a pair of singles in the first and the fourth but failing to push any base runners across.
After the walk to Barrero, Carr retired 11 batters in a row until the top of the sixth, when the Tides knocked consecutive singles and a walk to load the bases with no one out. A throwing error to home on a fielder's choice from Heston Kjerstad broke the scoreless game, and a second fielder’s choice in the frame from Ryan Noda gave Norfolk a 2-0 edge.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the frame. With one out, Escarra turned on a four-seam fastball and sent it 387 feet over the left field wall to pull within one.
In the bottom of the seventh, Tyler Hardman walked, and Ernesto Martínez Jr. and Kenedy Corona singled to load the bases with no one out. With two outs, Ornelas took the first offering he saw and blasted his eighth homer of the season 432 feet and 107.9 MPH off the bat to walk off the Tides.
Carr pitched 5.2 innings, allowing two unearned runs on three hits, walking three and striking out seven. Yovanny Cruz (6-3) worked 1.1 scoreless innings for the win. German tossed 5.0 scoreless frames, giving up four hits while striking out four. Hans Crouse (3-2) allowed four runs on three hits in defeat.
The RailRiders and Tides made it into the second frame but as rain poured down, the umpires called for the tarp. After a 33-minute delay, the game was canceled due to inclement weather.
Tickets for July 5 can be exchanged for any remaining home game during the 2026 season. Additional restrictions may apply, and tickets are subject to availability. Fans can email rainout@swbrailriders.com to exchange their tickets. Please note the game you would like to exchange your tickets for.
The RailRiders now travel to Sahlen Field to take on the Bisons in Buffalo. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre returns to PNC Field on July 17th for a three-game set against the Worcester Red Sox. Tickets and promotional details are available at www.swbrailriders.com.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Record: 7-4, 44-41