Morissette's walk-off grand slam lifts Jacksonville over Norfolk in 10th

Cody Morissette turned a tense extra-inning game into one of the loudest finishes at VyStar Ballpark this season, launching a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 10th to push the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp past the Norfolk Tides, 8-4.

The blast ended a night that had already swung hard in both directions. Norfolk scored first in the 10th on a Jud Fabian RBI single, then Jacksonville answered with the kind of pressure sequence that wears on a bullpen: Deyvison De Los Santos came home on a fielder’s choice to tie it at 4-4, and Morissette followed by clearing the bases. It was his first home run of the 2026 season, and it arrived in the exact spot where a team’s best players are supposed to separate themselves.

Jacksonville had spent most of the night building and then rebuilding its position. Matthew Etzel opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the first inning, giving the home crowd an early jolt in front of 7,938 fans. Norfolk clawed back anyway, getting into Jacksonville’s bullpen and eventually taking a 3-2 lead late before the Jumbo Shrimp steadied themselves in the eighth and ninth. The game only tightened from there, with Jacksonville refusing to let the lead and the series slip away.

Patrick Monteverde gave Jacksonville the foundation it needed. The left-hander threw six shutout innings, allowing only two hits and one walk while striking out four, a strong start that kept the game from getting away before the late scramble began. The bullpen then held long enough for Jacksonville to stay within reach, even after Norfolk’s comeback push and Fabian’s go-ahead single in the 10th.

Morissette’s heroics were part of a broader night of execution. He had earlier entered as a pinch-hitter for Jared Serna and drew a walk, while Rece Hinds delivered a clutch RBI single after picking up his first hit in Jacksonville colors. Etzel and De Los Santos also forced Norfolk into difficult throws under pressure, a reminder that this roster can beat opponents in more than one way.

The win gave Jacksonville the series and lifted the club to 28-22, while Norfolk fell to 19-31. It also opened Honey Drippers weekend, the alternate identity that honors Jacksonville’s historic Eastside neighborhood. For a Jumbo Shrimp team that entered 2026 as the reigning International League and Triple-A National champion, this one had the feel of more than a single comeback. It was another late statement that the margin against Jacksonville stays thin until the final out.