Curve Swept by Trenton in Twinbill on Tuesday
July 23, 2013 - Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release
TRENTON, N.J. - Back-to-back days without baseball did not treat the Curve well when play resumed as they were swept in a doubleheader with Trenton, 3-2, and 3-1, on Tuesday night at Arm & Hammer Park.
Altoona trailed 2-0 in Game 1 entering the fourth inning before a leadoff walk to Gregory Polanco set the table for Alex Dickerson. The Poway, Calif. native blasted a pitch off rehabbing Yankees' RHP David Phelps to straightaway center field his 13th home run of the season and it tied the game at two. It also extended his hitting streak to nine games in the process.
The Curve had opportunities to take a lead in a few instances thereafter. Oscar Tejeda and Polanco both reached to start the fifth but Tejeda was picked off with no one out and the inning stalled. In the seventh, Mel Rojas, Jr. singled to start the inning and then moved to second on a balk with no one out.
Tejeda then popped out to the catcher Jose Gil for the first out of the inning and failed to advance Rojas, Jr. to third. Trenton elected to intentionally walk Polanco to put two on but neither Dickerson nor Justin Howard could find the clutch hit.
In the bottom of the inning, Trenton rallied with two out when Jose Gil singled into right. Ramon Flores followed with a single through the right side that sent Gil first to third. With runners at the corners, Slade Heathcott played the hero and lined a ball back to the mound that went up off Ramos and up in the air. By the time it came down, no play could be made and the winning run had scored.
Starter Nick Kingham did not factor into the decision of Game 1, pitching 5.2 innings and allowing two runs. He allowed both runs in the first inning before going the final 4.2 scoreless.
In the second game, Trenton jumped on starter Eliecer Navarro (2-4) in the second inning when Kyle Roller hit a solo homer to open the scoring. Yeral Sanchez followed and reached on an error by Adalberto Santos. He'd score two batters later on a sac fly by Casey Stevenson to give Trenton the two-run advantage.
Altoona grabbed its only run of the second game in the third when Rojas, Jr. brought home Kelson Brown, who doubled earlier in the inning, with a fielder's choice.
Navarro only finished four innings for the Curve and was saddled with the loss. He allowed all three Trenton runs (two earned) on four hits. Nate Baker and Ryan Beckman each pitched scoreless innings of relief for the Curve in the second game.
Dickerson went 0-for-3 in the second game and saw his hitting streak end at nine games. Howard had two of the Curve's four hits in the second-game loss.
Looking to salvage the series finale, the Curve (45-56) will meet Trenton (52-50) in the 12:05 p.m. finale on Wednesday. RHP David Bromberg (5-8, 3.77) takes the ball in the series finale for the Curve while RHP Shane Greene (3-2, 3.02) starts for the Thunder.
Airtime on ESPN Radio 1430, WVAM and the Curve Radio Network is scheduled for 11:35 a.m. For tickets and more information on the upcoming Curve homestand that begins July 30, call 877.99.CURVE, visit AltoonaCurve.com or stop by the ticket windows at Peoples Natural Gas Field.
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