EL1 Altoona Curve

Garcia's First Home Run Can'T Power Curve on Thursday

Published on May 28, 2015 under Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release


NEW BRITAIN, Conn. - The Curve offense never gave up on Thursday afternoon but they could not come all the way back in an eventual, 9-5, loss to close the 10-game, 11-day road trip. The Curve finish their longest road trip of the season with a record of 4-6. Willy Garcia hit his first home run of the season in the loss and finished the game 2-for-4.

Down 4-0 after New Britain scored two in the second and third, the Curve mounded a rally in the fifth when Stetson Allie walked in his first at bat of the day after coming into the game for Keon Broxton in the bottom of the third. Max Moroff followed Allie's walk with a single through the right side to put runners at the corners for Garcia. His homer just cleared the wall in left-center and it had the Curve within a run.

New Britain would have an answer, however, scoring two off Matt Benedict (0-2) in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a pair of two-out hits.

In true see-saw fashion, the Curve bounced back in the sixth off reliever Jason Gurka. Eric Wood singled to start the frame and moved to second when Benedict bunted him over. Allie came to the plate and sent a fly ball into no man's land in shallow center and it appeared the inning would end. However, centerfielder David Dahl and second baseman Juan Ciriaco collided and no one caught the ball. Wood scored and the Curve were within two.

A play later, Moroff doubled down the left field line to score Allie and the Curve were within a run at, 6-5.

That's where the game stayed until the eighth as John Kuchno kept the Rock Cats bats in check in his first two innings of work. However, Dean Espy hit his second home run of the year to start the bottom of the eighth to extend the 'Cats lead to two. Then with two outs and runners at second and third, Pat Valaika hit a pop up to the mound that Kuchno called for. He and Dan Gamache brushed by one another and the ball hit off Kuchno's glove. Both runners scored and put the game away for New Britain.

Garcia, Gamache and Moroff all had multi-hit games in the loss while Edward Salcedo extended his on-base streak to 12 games with a single in the fourth.

Done with the Rock Cats until next week, the Curve finally return home at 6 p.m. Friday night to meet the Binghamton Mets at Peoples Natural Gas Field. The first 1,500 fans will take home our Tony Watson "Elementary" Bobblehead thanks to the Altoona Grand Hotel. After the game, kids can run the bases.

Scheduled to start for the Curve on Friday night is RHP Angel Sanchez (4-1, 3.02), who's coming off a career-outing where he matched a career-high with eight innings pitched. He'll be opposed by RHP Michael Fulmer (1-0, 2.95) of the B-Mets.

Gates open at 5 p.m. while airtime on ESPN Radio 1430, WVAM and the Curve Radio Network is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit AltoonaCurve.com, call 877.99.CURVE or stop by the PNG Field box office.

Check out the Altoona Curve Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Eastern League Stories from May 28, 2015


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central