EL1 Altoona Curve

McPherson Mcnificent In 5-1 Victory

Published on July 30, 2011 under Eastern League (EL1)
Altoona Curve News Release


PORTLAND, Maine - Kyle McPherson tossed a Double-A best 6.2 innings while striking out a season-best 10 batters in a 5-1 win over the Portland Sea Dogs on Saturday night at Hadlock Field. McPherson (5-3) fell one batter shy of completing the seventh after retiring 12 straight since the third.

Altoona scored the first run of the game in the first inning when Tony Sanchez doubled in Starling Marte to take a 1-0 lead against Brock Huntzinger (5-9) and the Sea Dogs. Portland would tie it up in the third when Chih-Hsien Chiang reached on a fielder's choice that allowed Ryan Dent to score the tying run and even the game at one.

Answering Portland's run were the Curve in the fourth when they scored twice off Huntzinger to regain a lead they wouldn't give back. Matt Curry doubled to start the inning and Quincy Latimore singled to place runners at first and second with no one out. After Kris Watts popped out, Yunesky Sanchez singled into left field and Curry was waived home to score the go-ahead run after Mitch Dening misplayed the ball in left.

With Curry scoring and Latimore going to third on the misplay by Dening, Greg Picart lifted a ball to left field that brought Latimore home on a sac fly and Altoona was in front, 3-1.

The two-run advantage was plenty for McPherson, who retired 12 in a row from the third and into the seventh. He struck out five consecutive batters as he struck out the side in the fifth as well as the first two batters in the sixth. His 10 strikeouts on Saturday night fell one shy of his career-high 11 that he registered on July 9th of last season with the West Virginia Power.

McPherson nearly finished the seventh with the Curve up 4-1 but walked Dening and gave up a two-out single to Oscar Tejeda to end his outing. Anthony Claggett came in with the tying run at the plate and struck out Dent to end the inning and the threat.

Claggett also pitched the eighth before giving the ball to Noah Krol in the ninth. Altoona was able to open up a four-run lead by the time Krol pitched in the ninth after Marte singled in Yunesky Sanchez in the top of the inning to make it, 5-1. Krol allowed one man to reach in the ninth before Dent grounded into a force out to end the game.

Marte, Curry, Latimore and Yunesky Sanchez all chipped in two hits apiece in the win, which is Altoona's fourth of the road trip.

With a record of 4-2 on the current road swing, Altoona (46-60) will look for a series-clinching win over the ‘Dogs (44-62) at 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon to match their best road trip of the season. RHP Aaron Pribanic (7-8, 4.03) takes the mound for the Curve on Sunday while RHP Chris Balcom-Miller (2-4, 4.50) starts for Portland.

Airtime on ESPN Radio 1430, WVAM and the Curve Radio Network is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.

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Eastern League Stories from July 30, 2011


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