One night after wasting a late lead, the Norfolk Tides were able to stave off elimination by defeating the Toledo Mud Hens 3-2 to tie their International League playoff series at two games apiece.  The decisive fifth game will be played tomorrow at 6 PM.

With the score tied at two heading into the top of ninth, Toledo manager Larry Parrish called on Jason Karnuth to relieve John Ennis and give the Mud Heads an opportunity to clinch the series in the home half of the frame. 

That plan was put in jeopardy immediately, as Karnuth drilled Joe Hietpas to put the leadoff man on.  After a sacrifice bunt and a fielders’ choice left two men on with one out, Wayne Lydon drilled a single to center that had the ability to drive in Hietpas with the go-ahead run.  

However, a strong throw to the plate by centerfielder Brandon Harper cut down the slow footed Tides’ catcher and kept the score knotted with two out. Former Red Sox Brian Daubach picked up his teammates, lining a double to right center to drive in Anderson Hernandez for a 3-2 lead.

Royce Ring almost wasted the lead in the ninth, but Tim Lavigne nailed down the must-win game by inducing a game ending double play from pinch hitter Don Kelly.  Gookie Dawkins walked to open the frame, and Ryan Raburn followed with a single.  A sacrifice bunt moved runners to second and third, forcing Tides’ manager Ken Oberkfell to call on Lavigne.

Kelly grounded a 1-2 pitch to Daubach, who stepped on first for the force out.   With the play still alive, the first baseman threw to Hernandez to catch Raburn off second base.  Inexplicably, Raburn could not get back, getting doubled up to end the game.

The contest was scoreless until the Mud Hens took advantage of two errors by Hernandez in the seventh. With a runner on first and two outs, Ryan Raburn hit a grounder that could not be handled by the Norfolk shortstop.  To compound the problem, Hernandez also threw the ball away on the same play, allowing Dawkins to score all the way from first for a 1-0 lead.

The Tides also benefited from a two out error by a shortstop.  In the top of the eighth, Dawkins mishandled a Rodney Nye grounder for an error.  Instead of getting the final out of the inning, Wayne Lydon came in to score to tie the game. Ron Calloway followed with a run scoring single, and the Mud Hens faced their first deficit of the game.

Jose Santiago will take the hill for Norfolk in tomorrow’s elimination game.  He will go up against Toledo southpaw Wil Ledezma from Fifth Third Field in Toledo.