All-Star Cumpton Leads Curve to Victory
June 28, 2012 - Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release
HARRISBURG - All-Star Brandon Cumpton tossed six scoreless innings and Robbie Grossman extended his hitting streak to 12 games in a, 4-2, Curve victory on Thursday night at Metro Bank Park. Cumpton (8-6) snapped a personal two-start skid with his six scoreless innings and he did so allowing just three hits while striking out four.
Altoona scored the first three runs of the game on Thursday night and got things started in the third when Kelson Brown worked a one-out walk. Cumpton helped his own cause with one of his two sac bunts and moved Brown to second ahead of the leadoff man Grossman. Ryan Perry (0-1), the 'Sens starter, walked his third batter of the frame in Grossman to put two on with two down for Drew Maggi. Maggi succeeded in driving in the game's first run with an RBI single back through the middle and Altoona grabbed the lead, 1-0.
The third inning proved to be the first of three straight innings where the Curve would score runs. In the fourth it was a leadoff home run by Matt Curry, his second home run in as many days and fifth of the season, that put the Curve up, 2-0. In the fifth, an RBI single by Grossman brought home Brown to make it a three-run advantage and give Grossman a 12-game hitting streak.
Things got interesting after Cumpton left in the seventh as Kyle Cofield made his first appearance since late May after being activated off the Altoona DL earlier in the day. Zach Walters rudely greeted Cofield with a triple to right field and scored on the next play when Destin Hood reached on a fielding error by Brock Holt.
Cofield rebounded to strikeout Justin Bloxom for the inning's first out but he walked Kris Watts and then dealt a wild pitch to allow Watts and Hood to move up to second and third. The Alabama-native Cofield rebounded to strike out pinch hitter Jimmy Van Ostrand for the inning's second out but was then taken out of the game in favor of Jeff Inman.
Inman was tasked with retiring Eury Perez to preserve the two-run lead and he got the ground ball he wanted in a chopper back to the mound but it deflected off his glove and towards third, allowing Hood to score and make it a one-run affair. He then walked Jeff Kobernus before retiring Jesus Valdez with the bases loaded to end the threat.
Altoona added an insurance run in the ninth with two down when Holt tripled in Jeremy Farrell to make it 4-2. Vic Black pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save of the season.
The Curve (36-41) will search for a series split in the finale with Harrisburg (40-38) at 7 p.m. on Friday night from Metro Bank Park. RHP Phil Irwin (0-5, 5.05) takes the game ball for the Curve as he searches for his first Double-A victory of the 2012 season. He'll be opposed by a tough opponent in Senators left hander Danny Rosenbaum (7-4, 2.76), who has defeated the Curve three times already this season.
Airtime on ESPN Radio 1430, WVAM and the Curve Radio Network is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. For tickets and more information on the upcoming Curve homestand as well as the Ballpark Blockparty 2012, call 877.99.CURVE, visit AltoonaCurve.com or stop by the box office windows at Peoples Natural Gas Field.
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