Altoona Wins High-Scoring Marathon
Published on July 18, 2010 under Eastern League (EL1)
Harrisburg Senators News Release
The Altoona Curve scored ten runs in the ninth inning, overcoming a six-run deficit, and ultimately went on to beat the Harrisburg Senators by an 18-15 final in the longest nine-inning game in the history of Metro Bank Park. The game lasted four hours and thirty-three minutes, and the teams combined for 413 pitches.
The Senators (45-49) led 14-8 heading into the ninth inning, but watched Altoona (57-35) hit two two-run home runs within their first four batters, which cut the lead to 14-12. Anthony Norman then reached on an error, and the next three batters singled. Gorkys Hernandez and Josh Harrison each drove in runs with their singles, and the game was tied at fourteen. Matt Hague then hit a ball deep down the left-field line that was called a home run-a call that illicited a cacophony of boos from the crowd of 5473-to make the score 17-14. Miles Durham's RBI double later in the inning made it 18-14. Marvin Lowrance drove in Adam Fox with a sacrifice fly in the ninth to cut the Altoona lead to three, but the game ended one batter later.
The Sens also had a 4-0 lead through three innings, after Lowrance hit a two-run home run in the third to score Danny Espinosa. In the first, Chris Marrero had doubled in Espinosa and Jesus Valdez to drive in the first runs of the game. Altoona would tie the game with four runs in the fourth and fifth, but the Sens came right back with two in the bottom of the fifth to retake the lead. After relief pitcher Cole Kimball doubled to lead off the inning, and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt, Valdez singled up the middle with two outs to drive him home. He then moved to third after two walks to the next two hitters, and scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-4.
Three Altoona runs in the seventh inning gave the Curve a brief lead, but the Sens once again answered quickly in the bottom of the inning. Nine men came to the plate in the frame, with Valdez recording an RBI double, Michael Martinez an RBI single, and Tim Pahuta a two-run double. Pahuta also scored in the inning on an error, giving the Sens five runs in total in the inning. That brought the score to 11-7 through seven. The Curve answered with one in the eighth-on a solo homer by Anthony Norman-but the Sens again had the answer in the bottom of the inning. They scored three more on a Valdez RBI double, a Marrero RBI groundout, and a Pahuta sacrifice fly to take that 14-8 lead.
The win in the ballgame went to Ramon Aguero, who retired both batters he faced in the eighth inning. He is now 1-2 on the season. Jack Spradlin (0-1) took the loss, as he gave up five earned runs without recording an out in the ninth. Altoona had twenty hits on the game, to fourteen for the Senators. Espinosa and Valdez each had three hits, and Lowrance had two. Marrero, Martinez, Pahuta, Kimball, and Jhonatan Solano each had a single hit. Lowrance, Valdez, Marrero, and Pahuta each drove in three runs; Martinez drove in one.
After the four-hour, thirty-three minute marathon, the teams will have a quick turnaround before Sunday afternoon's 2 PM start at Metro Bank Park. Right-hander Andrew Kown (3-4, 4.45) of the Sens opposes LHP Justin Wilson (7-4, 2.85) of Altoona on the mound. Fans can hear all the action by tuning into 1460 AM The Ticket and www.senatorsbaseball.com, beginning with the pregame show at 1:45 PM.
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