RubberDucks Fall in Altoona Again, 8-1

August 23, 2023 - Eastern League (EL)
Akron RubberDucks News Release

The Altoona Curve took a second-inning lead and held Akron to a single run in an 8-1 win over the RubberDucks in the second game of a six-game series at Peoples Natural Gas Field Wednesday night.

Turning Point

Altoona grew its lead in the bottom of the seventh inning. With a 3-1 edge, center fielder Matt Gorski hit a leadoff double to left-center field, and designated hitter Joe Perez hit a two-run home run to left field off right-hander Davis Sharpe. Left fielder Matt Fraizer followed with his fourth hit of the game - a single to center field - and shortstop Andres Alvarez hit an RBI double off right-hander Trey Benton. Three batters later, with two outs, first baseman Will Matthiessen hit an RBI single to left field for a 7-1 Altoona lead.

Mound Presence

Right-hander Hunter Stanley pitched a scoreless first inning but allowed Altoona to take the lead in the second inning with a single and error preceding a two-out, two-run double by first baseman Will Matthiessen. He kept the Curve scoreless the next two innings. In the fifth, an error, walk and two-out RBI single by Fraizer gave Altoona a 3-1 lead. Stanley left after 4 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Sharpe worked around two hits in his first 1 1/3 innings before allowing the first three batters to reach in the seventh. Benton finished the inning, allowing an earned run with two strikeouts. Right-hander Jordan Jones allowed an unearned run on a walk and a strikeout in the eighth inning.

Duck Tales

The RubberDucks run came in the fourth inning, when right fielder Cesar Idrogo hit a one-out double down the third-base line, and first baseman Joe Naranjo hit an RBI single to left-center field but was thrown out when he tried to reach second base. Akron only had one more runner in scoring position the remainder of the game and left nine runners on base.

Notebook

Idrogo had his second straight two-hit game...Akron dropped six games behind Richmond and Bowie (27-20) in the Southwest Division second-half race...Akron and Altoona are tied in their season series, 4-4...Game Time: 2:50...Attendance: 2,802.

On the Pond

The RubberDucks continue their series in Altoona at 6 p.m. Thursday at Peoples Natural Gas Field. Left-hander Will Dion (2-3, 3.17 ERA) is scheduled to face Curve left-hander Jackson Wolf (0-1, 3.46 ERA). The game broadcast is on 640 WHLO, the 640 WHLO iHeartRadio channel, and akronrubberducks.com, and available on Bally Live. Tickets for RubberDucks home games are available at akronrubberducks.com/tickets.

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