Andre Lipcius, who grew up in Williamsburg, clubbed a home run, scored two runs and drove in two Thursday night as the Charlotte Knights beat the Norfolk Tides 7-4 before 5,510 at Truist Field in North Carolina.
The Tides (9-20), who are on their longest trip of the season, have lost all three games so far in the six-game series in North Carolina and have dropped eight of their last nine.
The Knights (15-15), who never trailed, went ahead with a three-run second inning off Norfolk starter Camden Weston (0-2), whom manager Tim Federowicz pulled with two outs. Omar Narváez scored when Lipcius hit a fielder’s-choice grounder to third, Tristan Gray singled home Bryan Ramos, and Lipcius scored on Zach DeLoach’s sacrifice fly to center.
Terrin Vavra’s single in the Norfolk third off starter Mike Clevinger, a 34-year-old with 60 major league wins, brought home Jordyn Adams. But Lipcius, a former Lafayette High and Tennessee standout, responded with a home run to center in the fourth off Corbin Martin to put Charlotte ahead 4-1.
In the sixth, the Tides’ Luis Vázquez laced a double to center field that brought home Samuel Basallo, but former Virginia Cavaliers catcher Kyle Teel, Charlotte’s designated hitter, made it 5-2 with an RBI double to right field.
Narváez belted a two-run homer in the seventh off Roansy Contreras to complete the Knights’ scoring.
The Tides rallied in the eighth on RBI singles by Adams and Vavra, but Dan Altavilla, Charlotte’s fifth pitcher of the night, got the final four outs for a save. Reliever Wikelman González, who pitched two scoreless innings, gained the victory.
