The Norfolk Tides ended a three-game slide in their season-closing series, stifling Jacksonville 5-0 Friday night before 7,261 at Harbor Park.
Tides starter Levi Wells held the Jumbo Shrimp to one hit in six innings, striking out three and walking four. After going 1-6 with the Double-A Chesapeake Baysox this season, he’s 1-0 with the Tides.
Norfolk relievers Corbin Martin, Grant Wolfram and Anthony Nunez pitched an inning apiece to complete a combined three-hitter.
The year’s penultimate game is set for 6:35 p.m. Saturday, followed by Sunday afternoon’s 1:05 finale. Jacksonville will return home for the best-of-three International League championship series against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The Tides (32-40 in the second half, 62-83 overall) went ahead 1-0 in the fourth as Gary Sánchez belted a home run to left-center field off former Tide Morgan McSweeney.
They expanded the margin with a three-run sixth. Daniel Johnson doubled home Adley Rutschman — who, like Sánchez, is on a rehabilitation assignment from the Baltimore Orioles — before Jud Fabian and Terrin Vavra drew bases-loaded walks.
A throwing error by Shrimp second baseman Jared Serna on a potential double-play grounder by Sánchez allowed Enrique Bradfield Jr. to score in the seventh.
Jacksonville fell to 41-31, 88-60.

