EL1 Altoona Curve

Five-Run Seventh Pushes Curve Past Squirrels

Published on August 24, 2011 under Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release


CURVE, Pa. - Down a run going into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Altoona Curve batted around and scored five runs to top the Richmond Flying Squirrels by the score of 6-2 on Wednesday night at Blair County Ballpark. The win gives the Curve a three-to-one series victory against the Flying Squirrels.

In a 1-1 game in the top of the seventh, Skyler Stromsmoe hit a solo home run, just his second of the season, over the wall in right to take the lead, but the Curve had a tremendous response in the bottom half of the inning.

Off starter Justin Fitzgerald, who came into the game sixth in the Eastern League in ERA, Tony Sanchez led off the inning with a smash double to the wall in right-center before Matt Curry tripled to the corner in right to tie the game at two. After a groundout, Jeremy Farrell delivered a single through a drawn-in infield to score Curry and give the Curve a 3-2 lead.

The Curve were not done in the seventh as Kris Watts walked, which sent Fitzgerald out of the game in favor of Hector Correa. With two on, Starling Marte singled to score Farrell, and the next batter, Brock Holt also delivered a single to score two runs, one on an error on a poor throw. All told, the Curve scored five runs on five hits and they took a 6-2 lead into the ninth.

In the ninth, Bryan Morris started the inning after he hurled a clean eighth, but was lifted after two reached with no one down and Noah Krol came on and loaded the bases before a 5-4-3 double play ended the ballgame. Krol earned his 22nd save of the season.

The Curve got on the board first in strange fashion in the first inning as Marte singled to lead off the game and reached third base before a pitched ball was thrown in the dirt and got lodged in the catcher's gear of Jackson Williams, creating a dead ball and awarding Marte home to take a 1-0 lead.

Phil Irwin started for the Curve and he kept up his strong numbers at Blair County Ballpark as he allowed only a single run in the fourth before the home run in the seventh, as he picked up his seventh win of the season for the Curve and his organizational-best 12th win over two levels. Irwin went seven innings and allowed two runs on six hits with two walks and eight strikeouts. Fitzgerald, the Richmond starter, went 6.1 IP with six hits and five runs allowed.

The win earns the Curve their first four-game series win since they took three-of-four against Binghamton on May 30th.

The Curve will travel to Binghamton to take on Jose Reyes and the Mets on Thursday to begin an eight-game road trip. On the mound for the Curve on Thursday will be RHP Matt McSwain (2-0, 3.94) with the Mets to announce their starting pitcher on the day of the game. Game time is set for 6:35 p.m. at NYSEG Stadium in Binghamton, N.Y. with pregame coverage on ESPN Radio 1430, WVAM and the Curve Radio Network will begin at 6:05 p.m.

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Eastern League Stories from August 24, 2011


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