Holmes Strikes out Nine, Keeps Bowie at Bay in 2-1 Win
July 2, 2016 - Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release
CURVE, Pa. - Clay Holmes tied a season-best with nine strikeouts in seven innings of work as the Altoona Curve held off the Bowie Baysox, 2-1, on Saturday evening at PNG Field.
Holmes (Win, 7-4) completed seven innings for the second time this season, after logging seven frames on May 28 at Bowie, and matched his strikeout total from his June 15 no-decision against New Hampshire.
Altoona (45-35) won its twelfth one-run decision of the season, while Bowie (35-46) dropped its 16th one-run game.
Holmes loaded the bases in the first inning, but escaped the jam with just one run scored on a wild pitch, allowing Julio Borbon to come home from third to give Bowie a 1-0 lead.
Altoona answered in the bottom of the third against Bowie starter Brandon Barker (Loss, 4-2) with an Erich Weiss RBI double to score Chris Diaz and tie the game at 1-1.
The Curve took the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Weiss tripled home Kevin Newman to make it a 2-1 game.
Jared Lakind (Save, 5) worked the final two innings in relief of Holmes, as the two Altoona hurlers combined to strike out 14 batters, a new Curve single-game best this season in a nine-inning contest.
In his last four starts, Holmes is 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA and 26 strikeouts. The Alabama native has also won each of his last six decisions.
Weiss and Diaz both had two-hit days, and Anderson Feliz knocked a single in the sixth inning to extend his hitting streak to 11 games, a new career-best.
The Curve will play their final pre-All-Star home game on Sunday at 7 p.m. Altoona lefty Cody Dickson (6-3, 4.02) aims to match Holmes' seven-win total as he opposes Bowie right-hander David Hess (3-7, 5.37).
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