Heston Kjerstad went 5-for-7 with two home runs and 10 RBIs to lead the Norfolk Tides to a 26-11 loss to the Charlotte Knights in the Triple-A International League on Wednesday night.
Kyle Stowers recorded 3 home runs, 4 hits, and 7 RBIs for the Triple A team of the Baltimore Orioles, and Jackson Holliday, the No. 1 overall prospect, recorded 4 hits against the Chicago White Sox farm team. Norfolk set team records in runs scored, hits (29) and home runs (8).
Sjärstad is batting .583 (14-for-24) with 4 home runs and 18 RBIs in five games, while Stowers is batting .400 (10-for-25) with 5 home runs and 14 RBIs. Holliday, the son of seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday, is batting .400 (10-for-25) with two home runs and eight RBIs for the Tides, who are off to a 4-1 start. Holiday, a 20-year-old middle infielder, was selected with the top pick in the 2022 amateur draft.
Sjärstad, a 25-year-old outfielder ranked 48th among minor league prospects, hit a go-ahead RBI double in the first inning, a three-run home run off Aaron McGarity in the sixth, and a two-run hit in the second. He hit grand slams in the 7th and 8th inning against infielder Danny Mendik, who played in 33 games for the New York Mets last season. Kjerstad, the second overall pick in the 2020 amateur draft, set a team RBI record.
Stowers, a 26-year-old outfielder selected in the second round in 2019, hit solo shots in the first inning against Nick Nastrini, in the sixth against Bailey Horn and in the seventh against McGarity.
Connor Norby hit a solo home run in the fourth inning off Nicholas Padilla, David Bañuelos hit a two-run drive in the sixth off Horn and Peyton Burdick hit a solo home run in the ninth inning off Mendick.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.