Gonzalez powers Charlotte past Norfolk, Knights roll to 15-3 win

Charlotte made sure the week did not end flat, erupting for 15 runs in a 15-3 rout of Norfolk that secured a series split at Harbor Park. The Knights turned the finale into a runaway almost from the start, and Jacob Gonzalez again set the pace with a performance that kept pressure on the Tides from the first inning through the final out.

Gonzalez finished 4-for-5 with a home run, two doubles and four RBIs, and his two-run shot in the opening frame put Charlotte in front immediately. That early punch mattered because it signaled this was not going to be a one-inning burst. Charlotte kept stacking at-bats, turning scoring chances into extra-base damage and productive contact as the lead kept growing. Oliver Dunn and Dustin Harris also homered, though both came against a Norfolk position player once the game had already gotten away. Korey Lee, Braden Montgomery and others added RBI hits as the Knights kept pouring it on.

The offensive outburst backed a clean effort from Duncan Davitt, who gave up the only Norfolk damage in the third inning. After allowing two runs, Davitt settled in and finished five innings for his first win of the season. Charlotte then handed the rest to the bullpen, with Garrett Schoenle, Adisyn Coffey, Jordan Leasure and Ben Peoples covering the final four innings to close out the 12-run win.

The margin was Charlotte’s fifth double-digit victory of the 2026 season, a useful marker for a lineup that has shown the ability to create separation at home rather than merely hang around. In Triple-A, where rosters can shift quickly and pitching depth changes from day to day, a 15-run showing says more than a hot first inning. It says the Knights sustained traffic, worked through the order and punished mistakes deep into the game.

The finale also gave Charlotte a needed finish to a volatile six-game set. The Knights opened the series with a 9-6 loss on May 12, dropped a 9-8 game on May 13 despite four home runs, then answered with a 4-1 win on May 14 before the Sunday eruption. After a week that included Charlotte O’s night and Pink Knights’ 20th anniversary, the biggest statement came with the bats: Charlotte left Norfolk with a split and a lopsided finish that should carry real momentum back home.