Curve Ride the Lightning to Walk off Win over Thunder
Published on June 14, 2012 under Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release
CURVE, Pa. - A walk-off double by Jarek Cunningham capped a wild and crazy ninth-inning comeback by the Altoona Curve as they stole a victory from the Trenton Thunder, 7-6, in the series finale on Thursday night at Peoples Natural Gas Field. Altoona entered the ninth trailing 6-1 and scored six runs on three hits to come away with the win. It is the first time this season that the Curve have come from behind to win a game after trailing in the seventh or eighth innings.
The wacky rally began against Thunder reliever Ryan Flannery as Ramon Cabrera kicked off the charge with a single following Miles Durham's leadoff fly out. A walk to Quincy Latimore moved Cabrera to second with one out for Anthony Norman, who was pinch hitting for the pitcher Jeff Inman because the Curve lost their DH earlier in the game when Charlie Cutler came out and Cabrera was moved from his DH spot to behind the plate.
Norman also followed suit with a walk and the bases were loaded for Jeremy Farrell. Flannery departed in favor of the left hander Lee Hyde (2-2), who didn't do a whole lot better as he proceeded to walk Farrell to walk in a run and put the Curve within four at 6-2. With the bases still loaded, Hyde dealt a wild pitch to Elevys Gonzalez that scored Latimore from third and moved Norman to third and Farrell to second.
Now within three at 6-3, Gonzalez hit a ball towards short that went right by the shortstop Addison Maruszak and into left-center field. Both Norman and Farrell trotted home and Altoona had come all the way back to within one at 6-5.
Things turned a bit grim on the very next play as Gonzlaez was picked off of first by Hyde for the inning's second out and the tying run was removed from the bases.
Down to their last out, Robbie Grossman doubled into left-center field to once again breathe life into the Curve rally. Hyde continued to battle control with Brock Holt at the plate as the lefty spun a four-pitch walk Holt's way to put the go-ahead run on at first. Hyde was then removed in favor of Preston Claiborne before Cunningham's heroic walk-off double.
It was an entirely different game prior to the ninth inning as Trenton led 6-1 and had been in control of the game since the second inning. Altoona had scattered seven hits across its first eight innings of play but only came up with one run, which came in the first inning on a Durham RBI double.
Inman (1-1) gets credit for the win after pitching a scoreless top of the ninth. The bullpen trio of Inman, Matt McSwain and Jhonathan Ramos kept the Thunder off the scoreboard for 4.1 innings to give the Curve a shot to win it in the ninth.
The Curve (29-35) will now look to carry this momentum into NYSEG Stadium on Friday night when they meet up with the B-Mets at 7:05 p.m. for the first of three. RHP Brandon Cumpton (7-4, 2.97) gets the starting nod for the Curve in the lid lifter as he searches for his eighth victory of the season. He'll be opposed by B-Mets righty Gonzalez Germen (2-4, 4.50) in the opener.
Airtime on ESPN Radio 1430, WVAM and the Curve Radio Network is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. The Curve return back to Peoples Natural Gas Field next Tuesday to open up a homestand featuring the Cowboy Monkeys, the ZOOperstars, postgame fireworks and more. For tickets and more information on the upcoming stay in Curve, Pa., call 877.99.CURVE, visit AltoonaCurve.com or stop by the box office windows at the ballpark.
Eastern League Stories from June 14, 2012
- Squirrels Win Marathon Finale, 3-2 - Richmond Flying Squirrels
- Jenkins Strong in 13-Inning Loss at Richmond - New Hampshire Fisher Cats
- Aeros defeat New Britain - Akron RubberDucks
- Curve Use Six-Run Ninth to Stun Thunder, 7-6 - Trenton Thunder
- Curve Ride the Lightning to Walk off Win over Thunder - Altoona Curve
- Cats fall to Akron, 3-2 - New Britain Rock Cats
- Sea Dogs lose four in a row to end season series - Portland Sea Dogs
- Baysox Keep the Brooms Out - Chesapeake Baysox
- C Kyle Higashioka Joins Thunder - Trenton Thunder
- Sea Dogs Game Notes - Portland Sea Dogs
- Flying Squirrels Game Notes vs. New Hampshire - Richmond Flying Squirrels
- Erie SeaWolves at Harrisburg Senators - Game Notes - Erie SeaWolves
- B-Mets Snap Skid in Finale, 8-5 - Binghamton Rumble Ponies
- Independence Day a Blast with the Baysox - Chesapeake Baysox
- B-Mets Game Notes: vs Reading Phillies - Binghamton Rumble Ponies
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