JACKSONVILLE – Tristan Gray and Marty Costes each blasted a home run as the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp notched an 8-4 win over the Norfolk Tides for their first home series win of the season Sunday afternoon at 121 Financial Ballpark.
With the game tied at four, the Jacksonville (12-9) took control in the sixth. With one out, Troy Johnston doubled and Jonah Bride reached on a fielding error charged to Norfolk (9-12) first baseman Coby Mayo. With runners on first and second, Dane Myers singled home the go-ahead run to make it 5-4. A Griffin Conine walk loaded the bases. Costes then doubled home two runs, pushing the lead to 7-4.
The Jumbo Shrimp plated their final run in the bottom of the eighth. With two outs, Costes (2) blasted a solo home run to give Jacksonville a four-run cushion, 8-4.
Norfolk took the first lead of the game in the top of the second. With one out, Peyton Burdick walked and two batters later Ryan McKenna (2) walloped a two-run homer off Patrick Monteverde (W, 3-0) to put the Tides ahead 2-0.
Jacksonville answered back in the bottom of the second. Myers and Conine drew walks. A Costes single coupled with a Norfolk error scored Myers from second to cut the deficit to 2-1. Conine scored two batters later on a base hit from Victor Mesa Jr., evening the score at two. With a runner at second and two outs, Johnston knocked his second hit of the day, scoring Costes to give Jacksonville a 3-2 lead.
The Jumbo Shrimp added to their total in the bottom of the third. Gray (8) led off the inning with a solo blast for a 4-2 advantage.
Norfolk evened the game in the top of the fifth. Connor Norby led off with a walk and went to third on a single from Mayo. Kyle Stowers grounded out but Norby scored from third, cutting Jacksonville’s lead to 4-3. Mayo advanced to second on the groundball and scored on a double from Burdick, tying the game at four.
Following an off day on Monday, Jacksonville heads to Memphis to start a six-game series on Tuesday with first pitch set for 7:45 p.m. ET. RHP Darren McCaughan (0-2, 6.88 ERA) gets the ball for Jacksonville and Memphis will counter with RHP Michael McGreevy (1-2, 5.14 ERA).