Evans homer keys critical Curve win over Portland
August 30, 2005 - Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release
ALTOONA-- Tom Evans solo home run to open the bottom of the seventh inning broke a 1-1 tie and the Curve went on to a critical 3-2 win over the Portland Sea Dogs on a rainy Tuesday night at Blair County Ballpark.
With the win in the series opener against the Sea Dogs, the Curve (71-65) remain one game behind second-place Bowie in the race for the second and final playoff spot in the E.L. South with just six games remaining in the regular season. Portland (74-62), the first-place club in the Northern Division, missed out on an opportunity to clinch its first playoff berth since the 1997 season with the loss.
After the Sea Dogs had evened the game at 1-1 in the top of the seventh against Curve starter Hansel Izquierdo, Evans touched up Portland starter David Pauley (9-6) for his 15th homer to give the Curve a lead that they would not relinquish. Altoona took a 3-1 lead three batters later when Jorge Cortes brought home Josh Bonifay with a sacrifice fly.
Izquierdo (7-5) worked seven innings and allowed just one run on seven hits to earn the win for Altoona. Brady Borner preserved the lead with a perfect eighth inning before turning the game over to closer Matt Capps in the ninth. Capps allowed a one-out solo homer to Brandon Moss that cut the Curve's lead to 3-2, but struck out Jared Sandberg and Alberto Concepcion to end the game and pick up his fourth save.
Adam Boeve homered in the bottom of the second inning to give the Curve an early 1-0 lead that would remain until the seventh. The longball was Boeve's fifth since joining Altoona from Class-A Lynchburg on July 14th. Boeve and Evans each posted two of the Curve's seven hits in the contest.
Moss paced the Sea Dogs' nine-hit effort by going 4-for-4 in the loss.
The Curve and Sea Dogs will play the middle game of their three-game series Wednesday night at Blair County Ballpark. In a match-up of left-handers, Shane Youman (6-6, 4.09) will take the mound for the Curve against Portland southpaw Kason Gabbard (9-11, 4.51) in the 7:05 PM contest.
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