Mud Hens falter late to Norfolk

NORFOLK, Va. -- A day off didn't help the Mud Hens as Norfolk's Bill Hall blasted a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the Tides to a 3-2 comeback victory over Toledo Thursday night at Harbor Park.

The Hens were hoping to string together their second straight win after beating Durham on Tuesday. Instead, the game slipped away, and Toledo dropped to 2-9 in its last 11 contests.

Norfolk trailed 2-1 entering the seventh inning, but Lew Ford opened the inning with a double before coming home on a single down the left-field line by Miguel Tejada, who was thrown out trying to advance to second on the play. Hall followed with a long opposite field shot off of Adam Wilk (2-7), providing Norfolk with the final run of the game.

The seventh-inning rally made a winner of Rich Rundles (1-0), who was impressive in his Norfolk debut. Rundles, who was signed last week as a free agent after opening the season in the Independent Atlantic League, allowed one hit and struck out three over 3⅓ innings of work.

After Rundles retired the first batter of the ninth, Pat Neshek struck out the only two men he faced to complete the win and register his third save of the season.

Wilk was the tough-luck loser for Toledo despite pitching a complete game and only surrendering three runs on seven hits.

Jerad Head and Argenis Diaz each had a pair of hits for the Hens. Head's two-out double and Diaz's single drove in both of Toledo's runs in the second inning.

Norfolk starter Miguel Gonzalez was solid, allowing two unearned runs on five hits in five innings of work. Gonzalez did not walk a batter while striking out three in his first appearance with the Tides since being optioned from Baltimore on June 9.

The two clubs will continue their four-game set today, with first pitch set for 7:15 p.m. Jamie Moyer (1-0, 0.00) will make his Harbor Park debut against a pitcher 28 years younger, 21-year-old right-hander Jacob Turner (1-1, 3.75).

Moyer, who will be 50 in November, won his debut with the Tides by throwing five scoreless innings on Saturday.