Richmond’s homers put them within one run of the Curve after 5 innings, but Altoona added an insurance run in the 7th. �Pinch-hitter Jim Negrych stepped up with a line drive triple to center field. �SS Chase d’Arnaud walked (for the second time in the game) before a wild pitch let Negrych race home from third.
The Curve had a total of 8 hits, including two each by Harrrison and Gimenez. �Gimenez hit a ground-rule double in the 8th inning. �RF Miles Durham also doubled, and 3B Jordy Mercer singled. �CF Gorkys Hernandez went 0-for-4 in the game.
Altoona now owns a 6-1 record; �the only loss was Sunday’s game involving Stephen Strasburgh.
�
Jupiter Hammerheads 3, �Bradenton Marauders 2 (box)
Four consecutive two-out singles in the bottom of the 10th gave Jupiter the walk-off win over Bradenton. �Jupiter scored first in the bottom of the 1st, on a walk, a stolen base, and two ground outs. �The Marauders responded with one run in the top of the 2nd, when LF Quincy Latimore led off with a single, and moved to second base when a pickoff throw went wide for an error. �3B Jeremy Farrell singled to put runners on the corners. �DH Erik Huber, in his first game back from injury, bounced back to the pitcher, who caught Latimore in a run-down, eventually tagging him out. �Farrell had time to get to third base, though, adn Huber was safe at second base. �A wild pitch let Farrell score the tying run.
Starter Bryan Morris scattered two hits over his next three scoreless innings. �In the 5th, he gave up another single, and after two stolen bases, an RBI ground out gave Jupiter a 2-1 lead. �Bradenton was quiet until the 8th, when RF Austin McClune led off with a double and C Tony Sanchez followed with a single to again put runners on the corners. �Once again, the Marauders scored on a wild pitch, as McClune came in from third to tie the game at 2-2.
Casey Erickson took over for Morris to begin the 6th inning, and he pitched two scoreless frames, allowing two singles and a walk, but did not let a run come in. �Mike Colla came on in the bottom of the 8th after Bradenton had tied the score again. �He retired the Hammerheads in order in the 8th and again in the 9th. �Two walks put two Marauder runners on base in the top of the 9th, but they could not come around to score. �Then the Marauders went down in order in the top of the 10th, carrying the tie into the bottom of the inning. �That was when Colla got the first two outs, before giving up four singles and being charged with the loss.
Possibly an even worse outcome than the loss: �RF Starling Marte had singled in each of his first two at-bats, and had stolen second base in the 3rd inning. �In his next at-bat in the 5th, Marte was hit on the hand by a pitch and had to leave the game. �No report yet about how serious an injury it was.
�
BRADENTON NOTES: �Erik Huber joined Bradenton’s active roster, after having been out since the beginning of the season due to injury. �The roster spot was created by moving OF Anthony Norman to the State College roster. �It’s a paper move, of course, since the State College Spikes don’t begin their season until June. �INF Gift Ngoepe was also placed on the Marauders’ active roster over the weekend.
�
