Erie Outlasts Curve in Opener, 8-4
May 10, 2012 - Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release
ERIE, Pa. - Altoona battled early and often on Thursday night in Erie but a late surge by the SeaWolves proved insurmountable as the Curve fell, 8-4, in the series opener at Jerry Uht Park. Ramon Cabrera led the Curve offense with three hits and three RBI while Tony Sanchez had two hits to extend his consecutive games-on-base streak to 19 games.
The Curve trailed from the get-go, as Erie plated two unearned runs off Nathan Baker (0-1) in the bottom of the first inning, but battled back to eventually tie the game at four in the fifth. Trailing by a pair entering the frame, Sanchez found his second hit of the night, a double to left field, to start the fifth. After he was retired on a fielder's choice off the bat of Matt Curry, Cabrera came to the plate and smacked a two-run homer to right to deadlock the game at four. The home run by Cabrera was his first in Double-A.
The stalemate didn't last long as Niuman Romero led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a solo home run to left field to make it a 5-4 game in favor of Erie. Baker rebounded to retire the next three men he faced in the inning to complete the frame. The Memphis, Tenn. native completed five innings and gave up five runs (three earned) while walking one and striking out one.
Erie extended its lead to four in the sixth inning with three runs (one earned) off reliever Matt McSwain. A single by Rawley Bishop, a walk to Ben Guez and a single by Bryan Pounds loaded up the bases with no one out. McSwain battled to strike out Michael Rockett before Jamie Johnson hit a sac fly to left to bring Bishop in from third and make it a 6-4 game. Romero followed with a fly ball to left that went in and then out of the glove of Charlie Cutler, allowing two more runs to score and put Erie in front, 8-4.
Ryan Robowski closed out the game for the SeaWolves with four innings of scoreless relief in support of his starter Zack Segovia (4-2), who completed the first five for his fourth win of the season.
Cabrera, Grossman and Sanchez all had multi-hit games in a losing effort for the Curve.
With the loss, Altoona (13-19) will look to even the series with Erie (15-17) when the two teams play the second game of the four-game series Friday night from Jerry Uht Park beginning at 7:05 p.m. RHP Phil Irwin will make his 2012 Curve debut after spending a majority of the 2011 campaign in a Curve uniform. The Howlers will counter with LHP Jared Wesson (3-2, 6.91), a pitcher the Curve got the best of last week here in Erie.
Airtime on ESPN Radio 1430, WVAM and the Curve Radio Network is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. For more information on the upcoming Curve homestand beginning Friday, May 18th, call 877.99.CURVE, visit www.AltoonaCurve.com or stop by the box office windows at Peoples Natural Gas Field.
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