Altoona Curve 8, Harrisburg Senators 7
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2B Brock Holt and CF Starling Marte each had 4 hits in this hit-fest game, and 3B Jeremy Farrell added 3 hits. There was scoring in each of the first 7 half-innings, as almost everyone on both teams got in on the fun.
Holt began the game with a double, then scored on Marte’s RBI single. The Senators countered with a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the 1st, off Curve starter Jeff Locke. Farrell answered that with his own lead off solo homer in the top of the 2nd. The Senators again homered in the bottom of the 2nd, but with a runner on after a walk, to give the Senators a 3-2 lead. A walk, a bunt, and an RBI double after the home run gave the Senators one more run in the inning, making it 4-2.
Holt and Marte led off the top of the 3rd with back-to-back singles. A fly out moved Holt to third, then Marte stole second base, and C Tony Sanchez walked to load the bases. LF Eric Fryer’s sacrifice fly plated Holt, and Marte scored on Farrell’s line drive single into right field, to tie the score at 4-4. Harrisburg also scored 2 runs in the 3rd, to regain their 2-run lead. A pair of doubles and a single off Locke brought in those runs.
Holt and Marte came through again in the top of the 4th, with a double lined up the middle by Holt and an RBI triple into right field by Marte. That cut the Senators’ lead to 6-5. A single and a throwing error by Sanchez on a stolen base play gave the Senators a runner on third base in the 4th inning, but Locke held on to strike out the next two batters (three strikeouts that inning for Locke) to leave the runner on base.
The Curve took the lead in the top of the 5th. Sanchez singled, but was forced out at second on Fryer’s grounder, though Fryer was safe at first. A passed ball moved Fryer to second base, and a wild pitch on ball 4 of Farrell’s walk let Fryer advance to third base, giving the Curve runners on the corners. 1B Shelby Ford brought in both Fryer and Farrell with a double lined into right field, and the Curve were up 7-6.
Locke kept the Senators from scoring again in the 5th, working around a fielding error. He finished after 5 innings of work, allowing 6 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks in his 5 innings. He also struck out 10 batters. Brian Leach relieved Locke to begin the 6th. Leach pitched 2 scoreless innings, allowing only a walk in each. Tom Boleska began the bottom of the 8th with a walk, but erased that runner with a double play. He then gave up two singles and a walk to load the bases, but got an inning-ending ground out to get out of the jam.
A double play also cut short a Curve rally in the 6th, after singles by (who else?) Holt and Marte. Altoona added an insurance run in the 7th, starting with a single by Fryer. Farrell’s grounder to short forced out Fryer at second, but Farrell was safe at first base. A balk put Farrell on second base, and RF Brad Chalk brought him in with a fly ball single to center field.
The Curve would end up needing that insurance run. With Noah Krol on the mound in the bottom of the 9th, a double and a single gave the Senators one more run. Krol stopped them there, earning his 5th Save of the season.
Hagerstown Suns 3, West Virginia Power 0
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Despite 7 hits, the Power were not able to capitalize and move their runners around to score in this game. The Power had at least one runner on base in every inning but the 5th and the 8th. They had 2 runners on in the 4th, on singles by 1B Matt Curry and LF Rogelios Noris, but a line out double play erased Curry, and again no one scored. DH Justin Howard was the only Power batter to have more than one hit, and an extra base hit — he singled and doubled. SS Drew Maggi, CF Mel Rojas, and 2B Gift Ngoepe also had singles for the Power.
Zack Dodson made the start for the Power. In 5 innings of work, he allowed all 3 Suns’ runs (2 earned) on 7 hits and 3 walks, with 5 strikeouts. A double, a ground out, and a fielding error by Dodson himself gave the Suns the unearned run in the 1st inning. Dodson gave up 2 singles in the 2nd, then got out of the jam with 2 strikeouts. In the third, he walked two batters, including Hagerstown’s RF Bryce Harper (whom he’d struck out in the 1st inning). A passed ball had Harper off and running, but C Elias Diaz caught Harper between bases, with a relay from 2B Ngoepe to 3B Eric Avila for the tag out.
A single, a stolen base, and a double added a run for the Suns in the 4th inning. Two singles and a walk brought in the Suns’ third run in the 5th. Brandon Cumpton followed Dodson on the mound with 3 hitless and scoreless innings. He retired 9 batters in order, including 2 strikeouts. Zac Fuesser allowed a single in the top of the 9th, but promptly picked the runner off first, then struck out the next two batters.
