Holt the Phone, Curve Win on Walk-Off in Ninth
May 22, 2011 - Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release
CURVE, Pa. - Brock Holt's base hit back through the middle scored Miles Durham in the bottom half of the ninth inning to send the Curve home victorious, 5-4, over the Akron Aeros in the final game of the series on Sunday afternoon at Blair County Ballpark. It's the second walk-off win of the year for Altoona and the win also secured a series victory for the Curve.
After Akron tied the game in the top half of the ninth inning off closer Noah Krol (2-2), Altoona battled right back in the bottom half of the frame. Eric Fryer singled with one down and then Durham hit a ball towards short that ate up shortstop Juan Diaz to place runners at the corners. Brad Chalk, who entered the game as a pinch runner in the eighth, hit a ball toward short on a drawn-in infield and Fryer broke for home to try and win the game.
Diaz came up firing and Fryer was out on a close play at the plate for the second out. With Durham at second and Chalk at first, Holt came to the plate and delivered the walk-off hit.
The ninth-inning heroics came after the Curve battled back to take its first lead of the game in the eighth off reliever Chen Lee. Kris Watts led off the eighth as a pinch hitter and singled to start things off. Chalk was inserted as a pinch runner for Watts and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Holt. Starling Marte beat out an infield single to place runners at the corners with one down.
Marte stole second during Quincy Latimore's at bat before Latimore hit a sac fly to bring Chalk in from third to tie up the game. Jordy Mercer followed Latimore's sac fly with a base hit to left-center to bring Marte home to put the Curve up, 4-3, heading towards the ninth.
Altoona starter Aaron Thompson winds up with a no decision on Sunday as he allowed three runs on seven hits with six strikeouts over six innings of work. He left the game down, 3-1, after permitting two runs in the sixth but still turned in a quality start on Sunday afternoon. Michael Dubee tossed two scoreless, hitless innings in the game after Thompson before Krol came in for the ninth.
Marte, Mercer and Jeremy Farrell all chipped in two hits apiece in the win. Farrell actually tied the game in the fifth with his fourth home run of the season.
The first-place Curve (22-20) will welcome in the Bowie Baysox, Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, on Monday night at 6:30 p.m. to open a four-game series. It will be a Mirror Monday at BCB on Monday night presented by the Altoona Mirror. Fans can get $3 off a grandstand ticket to Monday night's game with a coupon from the front page of the sports section in the Mirror. Gates for the game with Bowie will swing open at 5:30 p.m.
LHP Jeff Locke (2-4, 4.68) will make the start for the Curve in the series opener while the Baysox send RHP Zach Clark (4-2, 3.30) to the bump at BCB. Airtime on ESPN Radio 1430, WVAM and the Curve Radio Network is slated for 6 p.m.
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