West Virginia Power 8, Hagerstown Suns 5
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Tyler Waldron earned his third win of the season, as he allowed 2 runs on 6 hits, with 5 strikeouts over 5 innings in his start. Waldron surrendered a solo home run to Suns’ CF Bryce Harper in the top of the 1st. He allowed one hit in each of the next 4 innings, though the hit in the 5th was another solo homer.
Meanwhile, Waldron was getting plenty of run support. With one out in the bottom of the 1st, 2B Gift Ngoepe and 1B Matt Curry both singled, then LF Rogelios Noris drove them in with a double into left field. CF Mel Rojas also singled, and that brought in Noris, to give the Power a 3-1 lead. Noris and RF Justin Howard both singled to begint he 3rd inning, and after a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, DH Dan Grovatt’s sacrifice fly plated Noris. The Power added 2 more runs in the 4th, with help from a fielding error that put SS Drew Maggi on first base. Curry blasted his 4th home run of the season, and Maggi came home too, giving the Power a 6-1 lead.
The Suns made it 6-2 with the homer in the 5th, but the Power got that run back in the 6th. 3B Eric Avila singled into left field, then was forced out at second on a force play, leaving C Kawika Emsley-Pai on first. Another ground out moved Emsley-Pai to second, and he scored from there on Ngoepe’s RBI double. The Power added one more run in the 7th, when Howard singled and Grovatt brought him in with an RBI double.
Brooks Pounders relieved Waldron to begin the 6th inning. Pounders retired the side in the 6th, but got into trouble in the 7th, first with a solo home run, then with a walk and two singles, pushing another run across the plate. Jason Townsend pitched the final two innings for the Power. He gave up a run in the 8th on a walk, a single to move the runner to third, and a wild pitch. Drew Maggi and Matt Curry handled the 9th — three outs in a row were recorded on grounders to short, where Maggi made the pick up and threw to first for the out.
Harrisburg Senators 4, Altoona Curve 1
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Starter Aaron Thompson suffered the loss, allowing all 4 Harrisburg runs on 6 hits and 2 walks over 5 innings. He buzzed through the first 3 innings, allowing only a walk in the 3rd. But three singles in the 4th gave the Senators their first run of the game. Then it got worse in the 5th. A single and a walk put two runners on, then a throwing error on C Tony Sanchez on a double steal attempt let the lead runner score. A line drive single and a double each brought in a run, and the Senators led 4-0.
2B Brock Holt singled and Sanchez walked in the 1st inning for the Curve, then LF Quincy Latimore walked and RF Jose Hernandez singled in the 2nd, but neither time could the runners score. SS Jordy Mercer singled in the 3rd, and Sanchez singled in the 4th and again in the 6th. The Curve picked up two hits off former teammate Jimmy Barthmaier in the 7th inning, on singles by 3B Jeremy Farrell and Holt, but Barthmaier got out of that jam without a run scoring. The lone Curve run came in the 8th, on a solo home run by Mercer, his 4th of the season.
Tim Alderson relieved Thompson to pitch a scoreless 6th inning, with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. Anthony Claggett pitched the final two innings, allowing just a single.
