Altoona Curve �10, �New Britain Rock Cats �5 (box)
C Hector Gimenez had hit a homer in four straight games, but he missed hitting one yesterday. �So he made up for it by blasting 2 homers today in the Curve’s win over the Rock Cats. �He also doubled twice, and collected 5 RBI, leading the Curve on their way to 16 hits. �3B Josh Harrison had 3 hits, including 2 doubles, DH Jim Negrych hit 3 singles,�and 1B Matt Hague homered and singled.
Justin Wilson made the start for the Curve and earned his 4th win, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits but 5 walks. �He also struck out 6 batters. �He gave up the first run of the game in the 1st inning, when he loaded the bases with a hit batter, a walk, and a single. �A grounder force out drove in the run, but Wilson ended the inning without any further runs scoring.
The Curve turned it on in the 3rd inning, when the first five batters reached base before an out was recorded. �Jim Negrych, SS Chase d’Arnaud, and CF Gorkys Hernandez all singled, with Hernandez picking up the RBI when Negrych scored. �D’Arnaud and Hernandez pulled off a double steal, to put both into scoring position, and both came in on Josh Harrison’s first double. �Matt Hague was hit by a pitch, but was erased in a double play by 2B Jordy Mercer, which also moved Harrison over to third base. �Hector Giminez wrapped up the inning with his first home run, a 2-run shot over the right field wall. �Curve 5, Rock Cats 1.
Matt Hague took his turn at homering in the 5th inning, another 2-run boom that again brought in Harrison, who had doubled. �Gimenez doubled after the home run, but was left on base.
After the run in the 1st inning, Wilson allowed only 2 walks over the next 4 innings, and one of those base runners was erased in a double play. �He was tiring in the 6th, though, and began the inning with a single, a walk, and a 2-run double. �Wilson got two outs, but then was relieved by Dustin Molleken. Molleken gave up a walk, but then ended the inning on a bunt pop out. �He worked around another walk in the 7th inning, but kept the Rock Cats from scoring.
Hector Gimenez’s second home run came in the top of the 8th, following a walk by Jordy Mercer. �The Rock Cats came back with 2 runs of their own in the bottom of the frame, when Molleken put runners on base with a walk, a single, and a wild pitch. �One run came in on a sacrifice fly and an RBI single.
The Curve added one more run in the top of the 9th, when Mercer hit a 2-out single, and Gimenez drove him in with an RBI double. �That double missed being Gimenez’s third homer of the game by just about 6 inches. �All that remained was for Mike Dubee to pitch a scoreless bottom of the 9th, with one single, to finish the game.
Altoona notes: �Ramon Aguero is ready to come off the DL, but he will go to Bradenton and do a little work at A+ level before he returns to AA Altoona. �Jimmy Barthmaier, who has made a pair of rehab appearances at Bradenton (one hit and one run in 3 innings), will move to Altoona to continue his rehab. �Diego Moreno’s shoulder should be ready to go in a few days.
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Bradenton Marauders �8, �Lakeland Flying Tigers �7 (box)
Six runs over their last two at-bats boosted the Marauders to a win over Lakeland on Wednesday night. �SS Brock Holt led the barrage by going 5-for-5 at the plate, with a double, 4 singles, and 2 RBI. �LF Quincy Latimore also contributed 3 RBI.
Bradenton took an early lead when Holt led off the bottom of the 1st with a double, then scored on C Tony Sanchez’s double. �2B James Skelton led off the 3rd inning with a walk, which Holt followed with a single. �CF Robbie Grossman’s sacrifice bunt moved both runners up one base, and Skelton scored on a ground out by Latimore, to give the Marauders a 2-0 lead.
That lead evaporated when Lakeland went crazy on starter Aaron Pribanic in the 4th. �Pribanic had faced the minimum over the first three innings, allowing only one walk, and then erasing that runner with a double play. �The 4th inning began with a walk and a ground out, but then a double, two singles, an RBI ground out, a wild pitch, another single, and another double accounted for 5 Lakeland runs. �It would have been 6 if not for a smart play on another single, when the runner from second tried to come around to score, but was cut down at the plate. �Pribanic came out to the mound again in the 5th, and after a strikeout and a walk, he was relieved by Melkin Laureano. That base runner who had walked came in to score after a stolen base and a single, and that run was also charged to Pribanic, who left the game with 6 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks in 4.1 innings.
Lakeland took that 6-2 lead into the bottom of the 7th. �The Marauders threatened in the 5th, when they loaded the bases on a walk to RF Austin McClune, another single by Holt, and walk to Grossman. �Two strikeouts got Lakeland out of that jam.
The Marauders rallied for 3 runs in the bottom of the 7th. �With one out, Skelton and Holt hit back-to-back singles, and a throwing error on Grossman’s ball to second gave Skelton the chance to score. �Latimore’s single drove in both Holt and Grossman to get Bradenton closer, 6-5.
Melkin Laureano pitched perfect 6th and 7th innings, then gave way to Tom Boleska for the 8th. �Boleska gave up 3 singles for another Lakeland run, but he was the pitcher of record when the Marauders rallied again in the bottom of the inning. �1B Calvin Anderson walked, then McClune and Skelton both singled. �Lakeland’s right fielder missed the catch on Skelton’s grounder for one error, then made a throwing error, which let Anderson score and moved McClune and Skelton to third and second respectively. �A new reliever came on for Lakeland, but Holt greeted him with yet another single (his 5th hit of the game), driving in both McClune and Skelton to take an 8-7 lead.
Closer Noah Krol pitched the 9th inning for the Marauders. �He gave up a single, then erased that runner with a double play. �Then he gave up a double, but left that runner stranded when a ground out ended the game. �Boleska earned the win, his first of the season, and Krol tallied up his 14th save, tying him for the lead in the Florida State league.
Bradenton Notes: ��Calvin Anderson was named the Florida State League’s Offensive Player of the Week for the week ending on May 31st. �Anderson went 14-for-26 (.538) over the week, including a 3-for-3 game, �a 4-for-4 game, and a 3-for-4 game. �He also doubled twice, homered, and had 8 RBI. �Anderson also had a 12-game hitting streak, which came to an end on Saturday.
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