Great pitching effort rewarded in Curve comeback win
Published on July 10, 2004 under Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release
(PORTLAND, ME)- Jeff Keppinger's RBI single in the top of the 10th inning capped another late-inning rally as the Altoona Curve defeated the Portland Sea Dogs 2-1 in 10 innings in the opener of a four-game series Friday night.
Despite one of the club's best pitching efforts of the season, Altoona entered the ninth inning trailing 1-0 when Ryan Doumit led off the inning with a solo home run off of former Curve pitcher Marc Deschenes, who was making his first appearance for Portland after being signed by the Red Sox and added to the Sea Dogs' roster earlier in the day. The blast was Doumit's 8th of the season and sent the game to extra innings.
In the top of the 10th against Deschenes (0-1), after Chris Duffy belted a double off of the Hadlock Field "Green Monster", Jeff Keppinger ended a 2-for-33 slump by ripping a go-ahead RBI single into right field that plated Duffy with the winning run.
Jeff Miller closed out an impressive night for the Curve pitching staff by striking out two batters in the bottom of the 10th to collect his sixth save. The win marked the fifth time this season that Altoona won a game after trailing entering the ninth inning.
Curve starter Mike Connolly, Brady Borner and Miller combined to hold Portland to just two hits, and no hits in the final 8 2/3 innings of the game. The trio also combined to retire 18 consecutive batters between the fourth and 10th innings.
Borner (5-4), who tossed two perfect innings in the eighth and ninth, earned the win in his return to the Curve after being away from the team for a week to welcome the birth of his son Drew back at his home in Omaha, Nebraska.
Connolly, who was taken off the hook for a tough-luck loss by Doumit in the ninth, earned a no-decision after yielding just two hits and one run--a first-inning solo home run by Mike Lockwood--over seven innings of work. The left-hander walked one and struck out five and has now struck out 41 batters and walked just six over his last seven starts, during which he's 3-0.
Josh Bonifay (2-for-4) produced the Curve's lone multi-hit game and improved to 15-for-29 (.517) over his last eight games.
With the win, Altoona (53-34) once again equaled the club-record for most games above the .500 mark (19). The Curve also remains six games ahead of second-place Bowie in the Eastern League's Southern Division.
Portland, which is now winless in five games against Altoona this season, drops to 40-47 on the season.
In game two of the series Saturday evening, the Curve will send right-hander Neal McDade (2-0, 3.20) to the mound against Portland righty Ryan Cameron (1-2, 4.46). Gametime is set for 6:00.
Eastern League Stories from July 10, 2004
- Binghamton rallies late to beat Baysox in tenth - Chesapeake Baysox
- Thunder use four-run eighth to rally past Norwich - Trenton Thunder
- Sea Dogs even series with 9-3 win oveer Curve - Altoona Curve
- Tracy McGrady puts on a hitting display as Iverson and friends prevail, 17-16 - Chesapeake Baysox
- Fisher Cats Outslug Senators 12-7 Saturday night at Gill Stadium - New Hampshire Fisher Cats
- Fisher Cats Little League Coalition to meet July 12 - New Hampshire Fisher Cats
- Fisher Cats mascot now has a name - New Hampshire Fisher Cats
- Trembley wins 1200th career minor league game as Baysox shutout Binghamton, 9-0 - Chesapeake Baysox
- Great pitching effort rewarded in Curve comeback win - Altoona Curve
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