EL1 Altoona Curve

Curve Finish Off 'Cats with 6-5 Win

Published on June 13, 2010 under Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release


CURVE, Pa. - Jordy Mercer's RBI double with two away in the bottom of the eighth inning brought home Gorkys Hernandez to break a, 4-4, tie and help the Curve to a, 6-5, victory over the New Britain Rock Cats Sunday night at Blair County Ballpark.

Hernandez started the inning with a single, his second of the game, off ‘Cats starter Carlos Gutierrez (2-5) and advanced to second when Josh Harrison placed a perfect sacrifice bunt down the first-base line that he ended up beating out for an infield hit to put two on with no outs. After Matt Hague grounded into a double play, Mercer delivered the knockout blow to Gutierrez.

The Rock Cats starter was removed from the game after the Mercer double and wound up giving up all six runs on 10 hits in 7.2 innings. Kris Watts singled off the new pitcher Loek Van Mil to bring in Mercer and add what turned out to be the deciding run in the contest.

As with the rest of the series, the Rock Cats actually got on the scoreboard first with an RBI groundout by Chris Cates in the third inning. The Curve offense countered with two runs in the bottom half when Miles Durham scored on a Gutierrez wild pitch and a Hernandez ground out brought home Anthony Norman.

After New Britain tied it at two in the top of the fourth, Mercer walked to start the bottom of the fourth and was driven home by a double off the bat of Watts to put the Curve back in front, 3-2. Shelby Ford's groundout to the right side moved Watts to third for Durham, who singled him in to make it, 4-2 Altoona.

Starter Justin Wilson pitched a scoreless fifth but ran into a snag in the sixth when Mark Dolenc doubled to drive in a pair to once again deadlock the game. The southpaw finished six innings and allowed four runs on 10 hits with no walks and two strikeouts.

Michael Dubee faced the minimum in the seventh but had some trouble in the eighth when New Britain was able to put the go-ahead runner at third with two away. Daniel Moskos (2-1) was called upon to get the final out of the eighth and he did so by inducing a groundout from leadoff man Brandon Roberts.

New Britain rallied for a run in the ninth but Moskos stranded the tying run at first when he induced Jair Fernandez to ground out to second base to end the game.

Hernandez, Mercer, Watts and Norman all had two hits apiece for Altoona in the win while Watts also drove in two of the Curve's six runs.

After an off day Monday, first-place Altoona (41-22) heads back out on to the road to begin a six-game road trip in Trenton with the first-place Thunder (AA - New York Yankees) at 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday from Waterfront Park. RHP Tim Alderson (5-2, 4.29) gets the nod for Altoona in game one while RHP David Phelps (4-0, 2.08) starts for Trenton.

Airtime on flagship ESPN Radio 1430, WVAM and the Altoona Curve Radio network is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

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Eastern League Stories from June 13, 2010


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