40.2 F
Pittsburgh

Spikes Lose Home Opener; Extra Inning Wins For Curve And Marauders

Published:

Altoona Curve �3, �Richmond Flying Squirrels �2 (box)

A wild pitch in the top of the 12th inning let 3B Josh Harrison scramble home with the Curve’s winning run. After four scoreless innings since the Squirrels had tied the game in the 7th, the 12th began with two outs. �Harrison walked then moved to third on 1B Matt Hague’s fourth hit of the game, a line drive single into center field. �That one run was all the Curve could get in the inning, though it was all they needed. �Danny Moskos took the mound for the bottom of the inning, and he finished things off with two ground outs and a strikeout, earning his 15th save. �That moves Moskos into a tie for the most saves in the Eastern League.

Richmond had struck first, way back in the bottom of the 1st inning, scoring one run on two singles, a double steal, and a sacrifice fly off starter Justin Wilson. Wilson scattered a walk, a hit batter, and a single over the next 5 innings, while striking out 3 batters, to keep the Squirrels from scoring again.

At the same time, the Curve batters had only one base runner over the first 4 innings — 2B Jordy Mercer singled in the 2nd inning, but was erased on a double play. �The Curve took the lead in the 5th, when Matt Hague and LF Alex Presley singled, then RF Miles Durham brought in Hague with an RBI double. �Presley scored on C Kris Watts’ grounder to second.

Richmond tied it up in the bottom of the 7th. �With Wilson still on the mound, a single, a sacrifice bunt, and a ground out put a runner on third with two outs. �Wilson was relieved by Jeff Sues, but Sues gave up a walk and an RBI single, to tie the game (the run charged to Wilson). �Sues pitched two more scoreless innings, allowing two more singles and a walk. �Tony Watson and Mike Dubee each contributed a perfect inning of relief in the 10th and 11th, respectively. �The Curve batters were retired in order in the 8th and 9th. �They threatened in the 10th, when Kris Watts doubled and pinch-hitter Hector Gimenez was intentionally walked. �SS Chase d’Arnaud singled, loading the bases. �But two infield grounders ended the inning, without a run scoring. �The Curve loaded the bases again in the 11th, when Hague singled again, Presley was intentionally walked, and pinch-hitter Shelby Ford was hit by a pitch, but a strikeout ended that inning. �It all came together in the 12th, though, and the Curve had the win.

Matt Hague was the only Curve batter who had more than one hit in the game, and he racked up 4 singles.

Bradenton Marauders �3, �Jupiter Hammerheads �2 (box)

1B Calvin Anderson was the hero in the 11th inning, with a walk-off RBI single, scoring RF Robbie Grossman, who had walked, moved to second on a wild pitch, and on to third on C Tony Sanchez‘s single.

The only runner the Marauders had over the first 4 innings was LF Quincy Latimore, who was hit by a pitch in the 2nd inning. �They got onto the scoreboard in the 5th, when the newest Marauder, 3B Adam Davis, walked and stole second base, then scored on DH Erik Huber’s single.

Jupiter came right back to take the lead in the 6th, with a single and two doubles. �Those two runs were the only ones given up by starter Aaron Pribanic, who pitched 7 innings and gave up 6 hits and a walk.

The Marauders tied it up again in the bottom of the 7th, when Latimore was hit by a pitch and Anderson moved him to third on a single. �Davis again contributed to his new team’s rally, when he drove in Latimore with an RBI single.

Tyler Cox pitched a 1-2-3 inning for Bradenton in the 8th. �Ramon Aguero pitched two scoreless innings, allowing only two walks and a single. �Tom Boleska pitched the top of the 11th, allowing 2 singles, but getting out of the jam with a double play. �He was the pitcher of record when Anderson worked his magic in the bottom of the inning, and so earned his 2nd win of the season.

Marauders’ Brock Holt‘s knee was not getting better, and now he knows why — he has torn his medial collateral ligament. �He’s going to be out at least 6 weeks, and might still need surgery. � Jeremy Farrell has also been placed on the DL, with a left leg injury.

The Pirates assigned Adam Davis to the Marauders. �Davis was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 3rd round of the 2006 draft, and spent four seasons in the Cleveland minor league organization. �Davis has not been a big hitter — his highest season batting average was .266 with A level Lake County in 2007. �He began the 2010 season with A+ Kinston, where he hit .225 with 3 doubles, 3 homers, and 8 RBI in 26 games. �He also played 5 games with the AA Akron Aeros, where he went 3-for-17 with a double. �Davis was�sent from Akron to A+ Kinston on June 14th, and the Pirates acquired him and sent him to Bradenton on Saturday. �Davis can play second, third, and short, though he apparently does not usually hit much.

Hagerstown Suns �7, �West Virginia Power �4 (box)

The Suns out-hit the Power by 10 — 16 hits for the Suns, and only 6 hits for the Power. �Power starter Brandon Holden got into trouble right off the bat — he gave up a double, three singles, and a triple in the top of the 1st, to give the Suns 3 runs. �Two singles, a hit batter, and a double added 2 more runs for Hagerstown in the 2nd inning. �Holden gave up a single in each of the next two innings, and two more singles in the 6th, though the Suns did not score. �Another single and a double brought in a sixth run in the 5th. �Holden allowed those 6 runs on 14 hits, no walks or strikeouts, in his 6 innings.

The Power could not keep up. �They scored one run in the bottom of the 1st, when CF Evan Chambers walked, moved to third on RF David Rubinstein’s single, and scored on LF Rogelios Noris’s sacrifice fly. �Over the next 5 innings, only two Power batters reached base, both on walks (DH Jose Hernandez and 2B Elevys Gonzalez). � The Power showed a bit of power in the 7th, when they scored 3 times. �1B Kyle Morgan, 3B Jesus Brito, and Hernandez began the inning with three consecutive singles, to load the bases. �A grounder force out by C Pat Irvine brought in Morgan. �A throwing error on a force attempt brought in Brito, and another ground out, by Evan Chambers, brought in Irvine.

Ryan Kelly pitched the final 3 innings for the Power. �He gave up a run in the 8th on a 2-out double nad an RBI single.

The Power had one more chance in the bottom of the 9th, when they loaded the bases on a double by Jose Hernandez and walks by SS Benji Gonzalez and Evan Chambers. �A ground out ended the threat and the game, though.

Related Articles

Article Drop

Latest Articles