Encarnacion-Strand's early homer not enough as Tides fall in Syracuse
Christian Encarnacion-Strand’s 16th homer gave Norfolk a 2-0 lead, but Syracuse answered with four runs in the eighth for a 6-3 comeback win.
Norfolk got the start it wanted from Nestor German and the early punch it needed from Christian Encarnacion-Strand, but neither was enough to carry the Tides home. Syracuse flipped the game with a four-run eighth inning at NBT Bank Stadium and finished off a 6-3 win Tuesday night, turning Norfolk’s brief lead into another loss in a season that kept sliding.
Encarnacion-Strand opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the first inning, his 16th of the season, and Norfolk looked ready to set the tone in the opener of the final First Half series. The Tides added their only other runs on the long ball, with Michael Siani breaking through for his first homer of the season with a solo shot in the fifth. That was the full extent of Norfolk’s offense, and the lack of traffic on the bases left the lineup dependent on two swings that did not hold up once Syracuse started answering.
German, a right-hander from Seattle and a 2023 11th-round pick by the Baltimore Orioles out of Seattle University, was tasked with keeping that early cushion intact. The way the game unfolded made his outing the standard Norfolk needed to meet: enough from the mound to protect a quick lead, but not enough run support to survive when Syracuse found its push. Norfolk fell to 26-44, and the result left the Tides searching for a way to turn a power burst into something more sustainable.
Syracuse did the damage late. Xzavion Curry held Norfolk to three runs on five hits over seven innings, striking out seven without a walk in the longest start by a Syracuse pitcher this season. Then the Mets broke through in the eighth, stringing together the kind of pressure Norfolk never managed. Jackson Cluff delivered an RBI double, Andy Ibáñez added a sacrifice fly, Nick Morabito stole home in the middle of a double steal and throwing error, and Ryan Clifford capped the rally with an RBI double.
That surge carried Syracuse to 35-35 and gave the Mets a comeback win that underscored the night’s central contrast. Norfolk had enough power to lead, but not enough contact to build on it, and once Syracuse turned the game into a multi-run inning battle, the Tides had no answer.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Did this article answer your question?
