A walk-off homerun by Norfolk's Adam Donachie in the bottom of the 10th inning handed the GwinnettBraves a 6-5 road loss to even the weekend series with the Tides.
It was the first of a double-header scheduled Sunday after rain postponed Saturday's game.
The Braves (56-45) battled from a three-run deficit in the seventh inning and got out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings.
But Tides catcher Donachie lead off the 10thinning with his homerun to left field off Braves pitcher Juan Abreu, who was inserted in the game to start the 10th.
Donachie's heroics canceled a Braves comeback that rode clutch hitting and defense over the last two innings.
Norfolk broke open a 2-2 tie with three runs in the seventh inning to put the Tides up 5-2.
The Braves answered withRobert Gotay'stwo-out single in the top of the eighth that brought home Brandon Hicks and closed the Norfolk lead to 5-3. In the top of the ninth, Mauro Gomez's two-out, two-run double tied the score at 5-5. The Braves could have taken the lead on Gomez's double, but were denied when Matt Young was thrown out at the plate.
Norfolk loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth with one out, but the Braves retired the next two Tides batters -- a strikeout and a flyout -- to put the game into extra innings. The Braves went quietly in the top of the 10th before Donachie's home run ended the game.
The two teams were scheduled to complete the double header late Sunday night and to finish the four-game series Monday night.
