Martin Drives Home 11th Inning Winner
July 5, 2023 - Eastern League (EL)
Altoona Curve News Release
CURVE, Pa. - With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 11th inning, Mason Martin lined his third hit of the game into right field of Erie infielder Jake Holton as the Curve came from behind to defeat the SeaWolves, 7-6, at PNG Field on Wednesday night.
The walk-off single was the seventh combined run scored in extra-innings between the two teams, as both sides scored twice in the 10th before Erie took a one-run lead in the 11th. It was the fourth walk-off win of the season for the Curve.
Altoona held a 3-2 lead entering the ninth inning when Tyler Samaniego came into the contest. Samaniego allowed back-to-back doubles on two pitches to Trei Cruz and Justice Bigbie to tie the game before getting three outs on the next five pitches thrown to head to the bottom of the ninth. The Curve stranded the winning run on third base to force extra-innings.
In the top of the tenth, Holton led off the inning with a double off Samaniego to score the placed runner. He would later come score on a Diego Rincones RBI-single to cap off the two-run frame. In the bottom of the tenth, Matt Gorski crushed his 13th home run of the season, a two-run shot off Blake Holub, to bring the game back even and force an 11th inning. It was Gorski's third home run in the last two games.
Andrew Navigato brought the go-ahead run across off Grant Ford in the 11th on a sacrifice fly. Ford earned the win by tossing one inning of relief, allowing one unearned run on one hit with one strikeout.
In the bottom of the 11th, Erie was forced to turn to Holton on the mound, moving him in from first base. Tsung-Che Cheng was the placed runner at second base, and he stole third with one out before Erie catcher Dillon Dingler threw the ball into left field, allowing the tying run to score. Holton would load the bases with two outs on two walks and a hit-by-pitch before Martin lined the game-winning single into right.
Nick Dombkowki spun a career-long 5.2 innings in the start for Altoona. He threw five perfect innings with five strikeouts before a lead-off double by Dingler opened the sixth inning. Rincones launched a two-run home run two batters later to mark the only blemish on Dombkowski's line.
Altoona responded with a pair of runs to tie the game 2-2 in the sixth. Facing Erie reliever Austin Bergner, Jackson Glenn knocked a one-out single for his first hit at the Double-A level before a two-out walk was drawn by Matt Gorski to extend the frame. Mason Martin and Abrahan Gutierrez followed with back-to-back RBI-singles to chase Bergner out of the game after recording just two outs. Claudio Finol lifted a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning to give the Curve a 3-2 lead.
Cheng matched the franchise record with four stolen bases in the game, joining Ray Sadler as the only players in franchise history to steal four bases in a game. Sadler set the record on July 10, 2004, at Portland. Cheng and Abrahan Gutierrez finished with two hits in the win for Altoona.
Altoona continues its six-game series with the Erie SeaWolves, Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, on Thursday night at 6:00 p.m. Altoona will send LHP Anthony Solometo to the mound to face RHP Wilmer Flores for Erie.
The Curve is proud to celebrate 25 years of memories in Curve, PA throughout the 2023 season. For tickets or more information, visit AltoonaCurve.com, call 877.99. CURVE or stop by the PNG Field box office. Additionally, the Stockyard Team Store is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during every home game and online 24/7/365.
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