Hughes First To Win 9, Curve Pound Squirrels, 7-2
June 18, 2010 - Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release
RICHMOND, Va - Curve righty Jared Hughes became the first Eastern League pitcher to win nine games after tossing seven innings of one-run, six-hit baseball to pace the Altoona Curve to a 7-2 drubbing of the Richmond Flying Squirrels (AA - San Francisco Giants) on Friday night at The Diamond.
The win for Hughes is also a career-high for the five-year minor league veteran, besting his 8-9 record in 2007 as a member of the Hickory Crawdads.
Richmond (32-36) would draw first blood against Hughes, using a Chase d'Arnaud error to score their first run in the bottom of the second. The Squirrels would capitalize on the defensive miscue when Skyler Stromsmoe smacked an RBI single to put Richmond up 1-0.
Altoona would counter with single runs in three consecutive innings beginning in the top of the fourth. Jordy Mercer knocked in d'Arnaud in the fourth inning before d'Arnaud extended his hitting streak to a season-high seven games when he singled home Alex Presley, which gave Altoona (42-34) the lead for good, 2-1. In the top of the fifth. In the sixth inning, a ball mishandled by Richmond second baseman Ryan Lormand off the bat of Anthony Norman gave the Curve a 3-1 edge.
The Curve would bust the game open in the eighth inning. Three straight hits off of reliever Andy Sisco with the third being a RBI bloop base hit off of Norman's bat which extended his hitting streak to six games, put the Curve up 4-1. Norman has hit in every game he has played since being called up to Double-A.
Pinch-hitter Shelby Ford contributed an RBI infield single before Mercer drove in a pair with his third single of the night to cap the four-run frame. Mercer finished the night 3-for-5 with three RBIs.
Richmond would add a final run in the bottom of the ninth off of Jimmy Barthmaier.
The Curve for the sixth time this season are 19 games over .500 - their high-water mark of the 2010 season - and will try to reach the 20-over-platue on Saturday at 6:35 p.m. in the middle game of the three-game series. LHP Justin Wilson (5-4, 3.02) gets the nod for the Curve while Richmond will give the ball to righty David Mixon (7-3, 3.08) Airtime on flagship station ESPN Radio 1430, WVAM and Altoona Curve Radio Network affiliates is 6:05 p.m.
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