Norfolk

  Robert Olson hit two 3-pointers during a 12-1 Loyola first-half run, and the Greyhounds built a double-digit lead before the break in a 65-49 win over Norfolk State (2-2) in the first game of the Basketball Hall Of Fame Tip-Off Tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday. Loyola will play the winner Albany today in the Springfield Bracket championship game at 2 p.m. Dylon Cormier (Cardinal Gibbons) led the Greyhounds (3-1) with a game-high 19 points, making seven of his 11 shots from the field.

Morgan State (3-6, 2-4 MEAC) vs. Norfolk State (3-7, 1-6 MEAC) Time: 1 p.m. Site: Dick Price Stadium, Norfolk, Va. Radio: 88.9 FM Series: Norfolk State leads 14-10 What's at stake: After a season that began with a lot of promise in a 3-2 start, the Bears are now just trying to snap a four-game losing streak and end the season with a couple of victories. Having taken on four of the top five teams in the MEAC in four consecutive weeks, the Bears could finally be getting a break in lowly Norfolk.

Buck Showalter just wanted to know one thing from Ron Johnson and Mike Griffin. How did they steer the Triple-A Norfolk Tides to a winning record when Showalter spent the whole season stealing their players? “My gosh, I never heard a complaint,” Showalter said, gushing over Johnson, the Norfolk manager, and Griffin, the team's pitching coach. “It was just, 'What do you need? What does the club need?'” Johnson and Griffin were unsung heroes of the Orioles' improbable season, handling a dizzying array of call-ups and send-downs as the major league club coped with injuries and the struggles of young pitchers.

Jake Arrieta said it really hit him after a terrible outing against Triple-A Gwinnett on Aug. 7, in which he allowed five earned runs and lasted just 3 2/3 innings. Arrieta stewed on Norfolk's bus ride that night - "I had a long internal conversation with myself" - and then he picked up the phone the next morning and called sports psychologist Don Carman , who spent 10 years in the majors as a pitcher. They had worked together a few years ago, and Arrieta, the Orioles' 2012 Opening Day starter who had compiled a 6.13 ERA in 18 starts this year before his demotion, felt he needed Carman's perspective.

The Orioles optioned right-hander Jake Arrieta back to Triple-A Norfolk following Monday's 4-3 win over the White Sox to make room on the 25-man roster for newly acquired left-hander Joe Saunders, who joined the team during the game Monday. Arrieta could return after Norfolk's season ends Sept. 3 to join the team's expanded roster. He will start for the Tides in a game over the next three days, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. Arrieta, who was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on July 5 after going 3-9 with a 6.13 ERA in 18 starts, was recalled on Sunday essentially to take the bullpen spot of Matt Lindstrom, who was dealt to Arizona for Saunders.

Orioles rookie utility man Ryan Flaherty, currently on a minor league rehab assignment at Triple-A Norfolk, is starting to heat up. Flaherty capped a four-hit game with a game-winning homer in the eighth inning to lead the Tides to a 5-4 win over Charlotte on Sunday night. Flaherty, on the disabled list with a bacterial infection, began his rehab assignment with an 0-for-15 slump, but is 7-for-10 with two homers, a triple and three RBIs over his past three games. Just because he's beginning to hit well, it doesn't necessarily mean that he will join the big league club soon.

DETROIT -- The Orioles optioned first baseman Joe Mahoney to Triple-A Norfolk before Saturday's game to make room for left-hander Zach Britton, who was called up from Norfolk to start the game. The move left the Orioles with 13 pitchers and an eight-man bullpen. “[We] want to keep the pitching, want to make sure we have the covered,” manager Buck Showalter said before the game. “Hope we don't need somebody to play first base tonight.” Right-hander Steve Johnson (1-0, 2.70)

The Orioles brass had discussed the possibility of moving left-hander Brian Matusz to the bullpen for several days, but after left-handed reliever Troy Patton went on the disabled list with a sprined right ankle , the organization is in need of a left-handed reliever who has the capability of throwing multiple innings. Orioles manager Buck Showater said before Tuesday's series opener against the Red Sox that the Orioles are moving toward experimenting with making the 25-year-old Matusz a reliever.

Following the Orioles' 5-3 win over the Royals on Sunday afternoon, the club optioned right-handed reliever Miguel Socolovich to Triple-A Norfolk. Socolovich has a 6.97 ERA in 10 1/3 relief innings with the Orioles. He allowed three hits and one earned runs in two outings over 3 1/3 innings since his most-recent call up Wednesday, which came after the Orioles bullpen was taxed by a 14-inning game Tuesday. The Orioles will likely recall right-hander Jason Berken, who will be used out of the bullpen in long relief behind a left-handed starter.

The Orioles are going for their fourth straight win tonight against the Mariners here at Camden Yards. Left hander Zach Britton (1-1, 8.35 ERA) hopes to rebound from his worst outing of the season. He lasted just 2 2/3 innings and allowed 7 runs and 7 hits in a 12-3 loss to the Yankees in the Bronx on Wednesday. “He's pitched well at times, and I have confidence that he will tonight,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “He's not walling around in self pity. I can tell you that.