PIRATES PROSPECTSPITTSBURGH PIRATES MINOR LEAGUE NEWS, TRANSACTIONS, AND ARTICLES

3B Pedro Alvarez hit a solo homer with two out in the top of the 9th, tying the game at 7-7, and giving the Hillcats another chance at victory. �But they could not capitalize on RF Miles Durham's lead-off single in the top of the 10th inning. �The Blue Rocks scored on three singles in the bottom of the 10th to get the win. �

The Hillcats had two 3-run innings earlier in the game. �In the 3rd inning, C Kris Watts led off with a walk, and he went to third base when 2B Eddie Prasch doubled. �DH Alex Presley followed with an RBI single, to score Watts, and SS Jordy Mercer doubled to plate both Prasch and Presley. � �Two innings later, it was Prasch who opened the inning with a walk, and Presley who followed with a double. �Mercer brought Prasch in with a sacrifice fly. �Back-to-back walks to Alvarez and 1B Matt Hague loaded the bases for Durham, whose RBI double gave the Hillcats 2 more runs. �They came close to scoring one more, when LF Maiko Loyola grounded to second base, but Hague was thrown out at the plate.

Matt McSwain pitched 3.2 innings for the Hillcats, allowing one run on 4 hits and no walks, with one strikeout. �He gave up a solo homer to Royals' prospect Mike Moustakas in the 1st inning, then pitched two scoreless innings. �In the 4th inning, McSwain gave up a lead-off double and a single, then got two infield pop outs, including a great catch by SS Mercer, who then threw to home to make sure the lead runner stayed put on third base. �Mike Felix came on to relieve McSwain, and he�ended the 4th inning with a ground out. �Felix gave up two runs (one earned) in the 5th on two walks, a wild pitch, and a fielding error, but Lynchburg was still ahead 6-3. �

Chris Cullen pitched two perfect innings of relief for the Hillcats, and Christian Castorri came on to begin the 8th. �A hit batter, a walk, a double, and a 3-run homer, all charged to Castorri, gave Wilmington a 7-6 going into the 9th inning. �That set up Alvarez to almost be the hero. �Castorri gave up the run in the 10th, and he suffered the loss. �Miles Durham went 3-for-5 for Lynchburg, including 2 doubles, and Jordy Mercer had 3 RBI. �

Danny Moskos earned his first AA win this afternoon as the Curve won their second game of the season. �Moskos pitched 6 innings and allowed only 2 runs on 8 hits and one walk, while striking out 5 batters. �

The Curve took the lead first, when 2B Jim Negrych led off the bottom of the 1st inning with a triple off the "Got Milk?" sign on the right field wall. �CF Jose Tabata followed with an RBI single to bring Negrych home. �The SeaWolves got the run right back in the top of the 2nd inning, on a ground-rule double, a single, and a ground out. �

Not to be outdone, the Curve also came back with another run in the bottom of the 2nd. �C Steve Lerud walked, and he and DH James Boone executed an excellent hit-and-run play, moving Lerud to third base when Boone slipped a single through the hole vacated by the second baseman. �3B Angel Gonzalez's RBI single flew just over the leaping stab of Erie's shortstop, and brought Lerud home, and the Curve again had the lead, 2-1. ��

The Curve had a small scare in the top of the 4th inning. �Erie's Alex Avila lined into center field, and Tabata made a dive for it. �He missed the ball and fell striking his right knee hard. �He was slow to get up, and then limped around for a few minutes while being checked out by the Curve's training staff. �Tabata convinced them that he was ok, and he remained in the game. �

Moskos' second run allowed came in the top of the 5th, on a walk and two singles, tying the score at 2-2. �Moskos got into some trouble in the top of the 6th, on a double and a single, but LF Jonel Pacheco made an on-target throw in from left field to Lerud at the plate, to gun down the runner trying to score. �

RF Brad Corley broke the tie in the bottom of the 6th with a solo homer, and the Curve added another run in the same inning, on a single by Lerud and a triple by Gonzalez. �They added 2 more for insurance in the next inning. With two outs, SS Pedro Lopez and Corley singled, and Lerud walked to load the bases. �Boone brought in Lopez and Corley with a single into right field. �

Yoslan Herrera, recently returned from a short stint with Indianapolis, came on to relieve Moskos to begin the 7th inning. �He gave up an unearned run when Lopez made a throwing error from shortstop (his back foot slipped as he was planting to make the throw), and Gonzalez made another throwing error from third base. �Herrera worked around another error, a fielding blunder by 1B Jamie Romak, to get through a scoreless 8th inning. �Sean Smith pitched the 9th inning and gave up another run, after a hit batter, a double, and a sacrifice fly, but he held on long enough to earn the save. �

It has been raining in Kentucky all day, so both the West Virginia Power /�Lexington Legends game and the Indianapolis Indians / Louisville Bats games were rained out.

The Curve had to scratch and claw, but they held on to their lead and even picked up an insurance run in their last at-bat, to win their first game of the season.