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Starter Brad Lincoln pitched another strong outing, though his streak of scoreless innings was halted a 20.1. �In the 2nd inning, a double, a single, and a ground out brought in one run for Erie, and the streak was over. �Lincoln went on to retire the side in order in the 3rd and 5th, and in the 4th he loaded the bases with two walks and a single, but got out of the jam with a pop out and a strikeout. �The SeaWolves scored again in the 6th on a lead-off home run, and after a single followed the homer, Lincoln was relieved by Sean Smith. �Lincoln struck out 7 in his 5 innings of work, and allowed 5 hits and 2 walks. �
SS Brian Friday hit his 4th homer of the season and second in a week to give the Curve their first run in the top of the 1st. �After Erie tied it up in the 2nd, the Curve regained the lead in the 4th inning. �Friday got things going with a lead off double, and moved on to third base on a fielding error in the outfield. �2B Jim Negrych knocked Friday in with an RBI single, then proceeded to steal second and third bases. �He scored on LF Jason Delaney's double. ��
Sean Smith finished the 6th inning for Lincoln and carried the 3-2 lead for two more innings. �He loaded the bases in the 7th after two outs, with two walks and a single, but finished the inning with a strikeout. �He retired the side in the 8th, but began the bottom of the 9th with a single and a sacrifice bunt to put the runner on second base. �With two out, a fielding error by 3B Pedro Lopez on what should have been a routine ground out allowed the base runner to score the tying run, and sent the game into extras.
The Curve came right at it in the top of the 10th. �With one out, Erie's 4th error of the game put Brian Friday on second base, and Jim Negrych was intentionally walked. �Jason Delaney struck out, but RF Jonel Pacheco came through in the clutch with a 2-RBI double to give the Curve a 5-3 lead. �Scott Nestor took the mound for the Curve in the bottom of the inning. �He got a strikeout, gave up a solo homer, got a second strikeout, gave up a single and a stolen base and a walk, then got the final strikeout to end the game and earn a save. �Sean Smith was charged with a Blown Save, but then also the win. �
Two homers and two scoring innings, with 5 unanswered runs, were all it took for the Hillcats. �They came close to scoring in the 2nd inning. �With two outs, C Kris Watts walked, and DH Jared Keel doubled into left field. �Watts motored around all the way from first base, but was�out at the plate on a 7-6-2 throw. �Keel's 5th home run of the season put the Hillcats on the board in the 5th. �LF Maiko Loyola followed the homer with a single, and CF Alex Presley walked. �2B Jose De Los Santos' grounder moved both runners up 90 feet, setting them up to score on SS Jordy Mercer's 2-RBI single. �
1B Matt Hague led off the 6th inning with another solo home run (his 3rd of the season). �RF Miles Durham and Kris Watts followed the homer with back-to-back singles. �Keel and Loyola both struck out, but Presley singled up the middle to bring in Durham. �The Frederick bullpen shut down the Hillcats, keeping them from even recording a hit in the last three innings. �A fielding error put Keel on base in the 8th, though he was left stranded. �De Los Santos walked in the 9th and stole both 2nd and 3rd bases, giving him 26 stolen bases for the season (2nd in the Carolina League, and 7 ahead of the third place base-stealer). �
Paul Mildren had the start for Lynchburg and earned his 3rd win of the season. �He went 5 innings and allowed 3 runs on 6 hits, with no walks and 2 strikeouts. �A double, a bunt, and a ground out brought in one run in the 1st inning. �A double and a homer added two more in the 4th. �Christian Castorri pitched 2 perfect innings, with 2 strikeouts. �Michael Dubee earned his 5th save by striking out 6 Keys' batters, and allowing only one hit, for the final two innings. �
Each of the Hillcats' batters had one single in the game, except De Los Santos who walked, and Keel who had a double and a homer. �3B Pedro Alvarez was 1-for-5 with a single and 3 strikeouts. �
Each team scored 2 runs in the 9th, but the Captains came out on top. �Power starter Gabriel Alvarado held the Captains scoreless for three innings, then surrendered a run on a single and a double in the 4th, and another run on a walk and two singles in the 5th. �Alvarado finished with 5.1 innings of work, and those 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks with one strikeout. �
The Power were held to just one hit, a single by RF Marcus Davis, over the first three innings. �They scored one run to tie the game briefly in the 4th inning. �CF Robbie Grossman led off with a single and stole second base. �1B Erik Huber walked, and Grossman stole third. �The Captains' third baseman missed the catch on the throw down to second base, and Grossman scored on the error. �
Owen Brolsma took over
for Alvarado to finish the 6th inning, with a single and an inning-ending double play. �Another timely double play ended the 7th, and he kept the Captains from crossing the plate for the 7th and 8th innings. �The Power were also scoreless over the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings, despite runners on the corners in the 7th.
In the top of the 9th, Eddie Pena�gave up two runs. �He hit the first batter with a pitch, then a double and two singles brought in the two. �The Power returned fire with two of their own in their half of the inning. �3B Jeremy Farrell led off with a single, and LF Quincy Latimore homered, to bring the Power back within one run. �DH Bobby Spain singled, and was replaced by pinch-runner Austin McClune, but a fly out, a ground out, and a fly out ended the inning and the game without the Power scoring again. �
The Power were not as fortunate as the Indy Indians in extras last night. �They took a 1-1 tie into the 10th, when reliever Brian Leach retired the Captains in order in the top of the inning. �In the Power's half of the frame, 2B Greg Picart singled and LF Quincy Latimore walked, but were left stranded. �Eddie Pena took over on the mound for Leach to begin the 11th inning, and gave up a single, and a sacrifice bunt and a ground out moved that base runner to third. �He scored on an RBI double. �The Power had one more chance in the bottom of the inning. �1B Erik Huber led off with a double, but couldn't move any further, as two pop ups and a strikeout ended the game. �
Rudy Owens made his longest start of the season, going 7 innings and allowing only one run on �5 hits, no walks, and 4 strikeouts. �That one run came on a solo homer in the 4th inning. �The other 4 hits were scattered over the rest of his innings. �Brian Leach pitch3d 3 scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and striking out 4 batters.�
The Power's only run came in the 7th, on a home run by CF Marcus Davis. �They put up a small threat in the 4th, when 3B Jeremy Farrell and Erik Huber hit back-to-back singles, but a strikeout ended that inning without a run scoring. �Picart led off the single and DH Calvin Anderson doubled in the 6th, but again both were left on base. �Picart, Huber, and Davis each had 2 hits in the game.
Altoona Notes:
RHP�Moises Robles,�who appeared in last night's game,�was moved from Lynchburg to Altoona yesterday, while RHP�Christian Castorri�was sent to Lynchburg. �
RHP�Jean Machi�was placed onto the Disabled List due to right shoulder soreness.
The Pirates signed RHP�Scott Nestor�to a minor league contract and assigned him to Altoona. �Nestor is a 24 year old reliever who was drafted by the Marlins in the 14th round of the 2003 draft. �He rose up through their system to �AAA Albuquerque, where he spent all of 2008. �He made 55 relief appearances for a total of 61.2 innings. �He allowed 54 hits for 51 runs, but he walked 49 batters and struck out 64. �His record was 1-1, no saves, and a 7.44 ERA. �The Phillies claimed Nestor off waivers from the Marlins in October 2008. �He was assigned to AAA Lehigh Valley, where he made 2 relief appearances for a total of 1 inning, but gave up 5 runs on 3 hits and 6 walks, with 4 strikeouts. �At�AA Reading, Nestor threw 4 innings and allowing 5 runs on 3 hits and 6 walks, with 4 strikeouts.�
Hillcats' starter Ronald Uviedo has lost 3 games this season, and all have been to Potomac. �Last night he pitched 5.2 innings and allowed 3 runs on 7 hits and a walk, with 3 strikeouts. �
The Hillcats took the early lead in the bottom of the 1st, on a lead-off single by 2B Jose De Los Santos. �De Los Santos stole second base, and scored on 3B Pedro Alvarez's RBI single. �The 1-0 lead held into the 5th inning, as Uviedo allowed only a double and one hit batter scattered over the first 4 innings. �The 5th inning opened with back-to-back doubles for Potomac, to tie the game. �Then a homer following a lead-off single led off the 6th inning, and Potomac had the lead. �The 6th continued with two more singles and a walk to load the bases, and Uviedo was relieved by Chris Cullen. �Cullen struck out Stephen King to end the top of the 6th. �In the bottom of the�inning, Pedro Alvarez led off with a double, then moved to third base and scored on two infield ground outs, but the P-Nats still held a 3-2 lead. �
Dustin Molleken came on to begin the 7th, and he gave up another run on a walk, two singles, and a sacrifice fly. �He continued to pitch the last 2 innings, allowing only a walk and a single. �The Hillcats were held to 6 hits, with De Los Santos and Alvarez taking 2 each. �1B Matt Hague and RF Miles Durham each had a single. �
Curve starter Danny Moskos matched his longest outing of the season with 6.1 innings of work, allowing only one run on 5 hits and 3 walks, with 1 strikeout. �Moskos worked around back-to-back walks to begin the 1st inning, and a lead-off single in the 2nd. �After 11 straight outs, he gave up a walk and two singles in the 5th, allowing the one run to score. �After a grounder and a single in the 7th, Moskos turned the ball over to reliever Jeff Sues, who ended the inning without allowing a run to score. �
The Curve managed only a single by SS Brian Friday and walks to CF James Boone and LF Jeff Corsaletti over the first 4 innings of the game. �Then they collected one run in each of the next three innings. �1B Hector Gimenez homered to lead off the 5th inning. �In the 6th, 2B Jim Negrych reached base on a fielding erro
r, and advanced to second and third bases on tw
o ground outs. �He scored on C Steve Lerud's RBI single. �Jason Delaney added a pinch-hit solo home run in the 7th inning, to give the Curve a 3-1 lead.
The Thunder tied it up in the bottom of the 8th. �With Jeff Sues still on the mound, a walk, a single, and a 2-RBI double brought in two runs. �Sues got one out in the bottom of the 9th, then walked a batter, and he was relieved by Shawn Nottingham. �But the first (and only) batter Nottingham faced, Justin Snyder, lifted a long fly ball over the right field wall for a 2-run walk-off homer, to get the win for Trenton. �
