Dickerson Has Career Day in 13-6 Win over Portland
June 2, 2013 - Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release
PORTLAND, Maine - Alex Dickerson stole the show with a career-high seven RBI in the Curve's series-clinching, 13-6, win in Portland on Sunday afternoon. Dickerson slugged two homers, including his second career grand slam, to help the Curve end the road trip with an even .500 record and a series win over the Sea Dogs. Jarek Cunningham also helped pace the offense with his second four-hit day, which included a pair of home runs.
Altoona was blanked in the first before an outpouring of offense in the second inning. Andrew Lambo and Cunningham got it going with back-to-back homers to start the inning. It was the 13th home run of the season for Lambo and his fourth of the road trip. Adalberto Santos followed with a single and Justin Howard was hit by a pitch to put two on still with no one out.
'Dogs starter Matt Barnes (3-2) rebounded to strike out both Andy Vasquez and Gift Ngoepe after he hit Howard. Mel Rojas, Jr. singled to extend the inning before Dickerson clubbed his grand slam towards the video board in left-center.
Barnes then surrendered a single to Charlie Cutler to end his day before Portland brought in Keith Couch. Lambo singled and Cunningham doubled off the new reliever Couch to plate one more run and give the Curve a nice, 7-0, lead going to the bottom of the inning.
Not done scoring, Altoona added three more runs in the third inning courtesy of two Sea Dogs errors. Howard and Vasquez each reached on fielding errors to start the inning before Ngoepe singled to load the bases. Rojas, Jr. and Dickerson had back-to-back sac flies before Cutler doubled in the third run of the inning. After 2.5 innings, Altoona led, 10-0.
Dickerson's second homer of the game in the fifth, a two-run shot, made it a 12-0 game and established the new career high for the right fielder. He had 14 RBI total entering the day and was 3-for-4 overall in Sunday afternoon's win.
The offensive outburst was more than enough for Casey Sadler (6-3), who shut out Portland over five innings before permitting four runs in the sixth inning. He was unable to finish the sixth, going 5.2 frames and giving up a total of four runs on seven hits with a season-high tying five strikeouts.
Portland actually sent nine men to the plate in the sixth and scored five runs to pull within seven. Cunningham launched his second homer of the game in the eighth to cap the scoring for the Curve and give him his second four-hit game this season.
Altoona's five home runs were a new season high while Dickerson and Cunningham's multi-HR games were the first of the season for the club. Eight-of-nine batters in the starting lineup had at least one hit with five of the nine batters registering multi-hit games. After hitting five home runs today, the Curve now have 46 as a team this season.
Done with a northeastern swing, the Curve (23-33) now take in an off day before opening up a homestand versus the Reading Fightin Phils (AA - Phillies) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday night. Altoona and Reading will pick up their suspended game from May 23 at 6 p.m. with the Curve acting as the visiting team tied at two in the top of the eighth with Santos at the plate. The regularly-scheduled game will follow once the game has been completed.
We'll have a special postgame fireworks show following game two on Tuesday night and it will also be a Two-for-Tuesday thanks to Atlantic Broadband. Fans can get two tickets, two hot dogs and two small popcorns all for the price of one (and take in both games too!). On the hill for the Curve in the regularly-scheduled game will be RHP Jameson Taillon (3-5, 3.26), who will be making his first start of the year against the Fightins.
Gates open at 5 p.m. while airtime on ESPN Radio 1430, WVAM and the Curve Radio Network is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. For tickets and more information on the homestand, call 877.99.CURVE, visit AltoonaCurve.com or stop by the ticket windows at Peoples Natural Gas Field.
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