Curve win wild affair, 10-8
July 11, 2008 - Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release
ERIE - Melvin Dorta went 5-for-6 and knocked in four runs, Anthony Webster collected four hits and three RBI's and Luis Cruz hit a key two-run home run to lead the Altoona Curve to a wild 10-8 victory over the Erie SeaWolves in the opener of a four-game series Friday evening at Jerry Uht Park in Erie.
Altoona (39-53) pounded out 18 hits in the victory, one shy of the club's season high of 19 in a June 8 win over Connecticut at Blair County Ballpark. The Curve overcame early deficits of 4-0 and 5-1 to even their road trip record at two wins apiece. Altoona opened their current seven-game road trip by losing two of three games at Trenton.
Dorta, Webster and Cruz each homered among their big nights, but it was Cruz's fifth-inning, two-run shot which gave Altoona its first lead of the game at 7-6, and the Curve never trailed the rest of the game. After facing early four-run deficits, Altoona had climbed back into the game thanks to a four-run third inning, highlighted by a two-run Dorta homer. The Curve scored their first run in the top of the second, when Webster drilled the first of the three home runs, a solo shot over the right-field fence.
Josh Shortslef (3-1) earned the win in relief, allowing one run in three innings of work as the Curve's third pitcher in the game. Starter Derek Hankins was knocked out of the contest in the bottom of the first inning after being tagged for four runs, while retiring only two batters.
Ronald Belisario, the Curve's fourth pitcher of the game, worked the final three innings to earn his first save of the year. Belisario had a 10-7 lead to work with entering the ninth and retired the first two batters of the frame before the SeaWolves strung together three consecutive hits to cut the lead to 10-8 and brought the potential winning run to the plate. However, the hard-throwing right-hander induced a fly ball to left field off the bat of pinch-hitter Pedro Cotto to seal the Altoona victory.
Ben Fritz (2-5) allowed seven runs -- six earned -- on 12 hits over five innings of work to suffer the loss for Erie.
Dorta's five-hit game makes him the first player in Curve history to record two five-hit efforts in the same season. He also posted a five-hit contest against Erie on April 18 at Blair County Ballpark.
Jason Delaney recorded a third-inning RBI double to extend his hitting streak to 13 games, the longest streak by any Curve batter this season. Dorta and Brad Corley also extended their hitting streaks to seven games.
Jeff Frazier pounded out four of Erie's 15 hits, while Ryan Roberson collected three hits in five at-bats.
The Curve and SeaWolves will play the second game of their four-game series Saturday evening at Jerry Uht Park in Erie. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. Fans can hear all the action on the Curve Radio Network beginning at 6:50 p.m. The game can also be heard live and for free on-line at AltoonaCurve.com.
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