EL1 Altoona Curve

Curve Split Marathon Twinbill in Erie

Published on July 14, 2018 under Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release


ERIE, Pa. - With 18 innings of baseball spanning five hours and 51 minutes, the Altoona Curve split a double-header with the Erie SeaWolves on Friday night at UPMC Park, losing the first game, 8-7, in 11 innings before picking up a win in the nightcap, 5-1.

The Curve (47-40) have now won five of their last six games, including two of three in the road series against the SeaWolves (42-48).

Game 1

Jake Rogers worked a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 11th inning to lift the SeaWolves to an 8-7, walk-off win over the Curve in a back-and-forth battle.

With the Curve leading 7-6 heading into the bottom of the 11th, Sergio Alcantara drove a game-tying single off of Yeudy Garcia (Loss, 1-4) before Rogers was issued a walk on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded and two outs to bring home the winning run.

The Curve led 5-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh, which was the last regularly-scheduled inning of the double-header opener. After a pair of walks and a wild pitch by Geoff Hartlieb (Blown Save, 6), Alcantara drove an RBI single to pull the SeaWolves back within a run. Daz Cameron followed by grounding into a double play, scoring Danny Woodrow from third to tie the score.

In the top of the eighth, Logan Hill put the Curve back ahead with an RBI single, but the SeaWolves responded with a two-out single by Woodrow against Sean Keselica (Blown Save, 2) to even the score again.

The Curve failed to score in the top of the ninth inning, and the SeaWolves put a runner at third with one out, but Keselica struck out Josh Lester and worked a flyout from Rogers to keep the score tied.

Tucker reached third with no outs in the top of the tenth, but Caleb Thielbar (Win, 2-0) worked out of the inning without allowing a run. Garcia stranded Rogers at third base in the bottom of the inning.

In the top of the 11th, Hill drove another go-ahead single, bringing Tyler Gaffney across the plate to give the Curve a 7-6 lead.

Erie opened a 3-0 lead with a solo homer by A.J. Simcox in the second and a two-run homer by Will Maddox in the third.

In his shortest start with the Curve this season, Cam Vieaux threw four innings and allowed three runs on six hits with no walks and five strikeouts.

The Curve rallied with four runs in the sixth inning. Tucker launched a solo homer, his third of the season, to get Altoona on the board. Jordan George knocked an RBI double and Hill followed with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 3-3.

Later in the inning, Bralin Jackson drove in George with a single to put the Curve on top, 4-3. Tucker scored on a wild pitch in the top of the seventh to extend the lead to two runs.

Logan Sendelbach worked two scoreless innings out of the Altoona bullpen and allowed three hits, extending his current scoreless streak to 10.2 innings. He has a 0.61 ERA over his last nine appearances.

Keselica allowed one unearned run on one hit with three strikeouts over his two innings.

Bryan Reynolds hit two doubles and added a walk and a run scored. Tucker went 2-for-5 with a homer and scored twice. George and Hill each had two hits, and Will Craig worked two walks and added a single.

The SeaWolves stranded 15 runners on base, going 3-for-20 with runners in scoring position in the game.

Curve pitchers combined to allow 14 hits and seven walks in the game.

Game 2

A pair of fifth-inning homers by Will Craig and Tyler Gaffney and strong pitching from Scooter Hightower and Bret Helton lifted the Curve to a 5-1 win in game two of the double-header.

Craig broke the tie with a three-run homer in the top of the fifth, his team-leading 13th of the season, that landed on the roof of the arena next door to UPMC Park. He drove his season RBI total to 64, which ranks second in the Eastern League.

Later in the inning, Gaffney drove an opposite-field, two-run homer against to extend the Curve lead to 5-0.

The SeaWolves avoided a shutout with a solo home run by Josh Thole in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Making his first Double-A start, Hightower worked four scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Helton (Win, 4-4) allowed one run over his three relief innings with four strikeouts.

In his Double-A debut, Erie starter Alfred Gutierrez (Loss, 0-1) opened with four scoreless innings before surrendering four runs in the fifth. He allowed seven hits and three walks with six strikeouts over his 4.2 innings of work.

Eight Curve hitters had at least one hit in the game. Gaffney and Bralin Jackson each had two hits.

The Curve now sit four games behind first-place Akron and one-game ahead of third-place Harrisburg in the Western Division standings.

The Curve and SeaWolves will play the fourth of the five-game series on Saturday night. RHP Kyle Dowdy (2-2, 4.18) will start on the mound for Erie. Altoona has not yet announced a starting pitcher. First pitch at UPMC Park is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

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Eastern League Stories from July 14, 2018


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