Tag: Jarek Cunningham

Altoona Curve 2, �Akron Aeros 0 (box)

Starter Jared Hughes dominated the Aeros for 5 innings in Akron on Monday night. �He scattered 4 walks over those innings, but did not allow a hit, while striking out 3 batters on the way to his third win of the season. �Reliever Dustin Molleken took over in the 6th inning and allowed a double, then gave up a walk and a single in the 7th, but still kept the Aeros from crossing the plate. �Danny Moskos earned his second save with a scoreless 9th, giving up another walk, but striking out the other three batters he faced.

The Curve didn't need many runs in this one. �They put up an unearned run in the 1st inning, when SS Chase d'Arnaud reached base on a fielding error, then scored on back-to-back singles by RF Miles Durham and 3B Jordy Mercer. The Curve had runners on base in 6 of the next 8 innings, and in two innings had runners reach as far as third base without scoring. �In the 7th Altoona loaded the bases on a walk by DH Jim Negrych, a single by Durham, and a walk by Mercer. �C Hector Gimenez brought in Negrych with a sacrifice fly, and that was all the scoring required.

The Curve now have a 9-3 record.

Erie SeaWolves 6, �Altoona Curve 5 (box)

DH Jim Negrych did his best to be the hero for the Curve in the afternoon game against the SeaWolves in Erie. �He tied the game with a 2-run homer in the 8th inning. �He hit a key 2-run double in the top of the 9th to give the Curve the lead. �But Erie's C Max St. Pierre was having a better day. �On St. Pierre's 30th birthday, he hit two home runs, including a walk-off blast in the bottom of the 9th to give the SeaWolves the win.

With Rudy Owens on the mound for his second start of the season, Erie took an early 2-run lead in the 3rd inning. �Owens had allowed only one hit over the first two innings, but the 3rd began with three consecutive singles, including one by St. Pierre, to bring in one run. �An RBI grounder brought in the second run. �C Kris Watts ended the inning when he threw out a runner trying to steal second base.

The Curve threatened in the top of the 3rd when LF Alex Presley and 2B Shelby Ford opened the inning with back-to-back walks. �A bunt moved them both up a base. �CF Gorkys Hernandez bounced to short for a fielder's choice, and Presley appeared to slide in under the tag at the plate, but was called out. �Altoona did�get one of the runs back in the top of the 5th, when 1B Matt Hague led off the 5th inning with the first Curve hit of the game, a double down the left field line. �He went to third on a ground out, and Ford was hit by a pitch, making it runners on the corners. �SS Jose De Los Santos grounded to second base, for what should have been a double play. �But the speedy De Los Santos beat out the relay throw to first base, and the Hague scored from third base.

St. Pierre's first home, a solo blast, run led off the 5th inning, to give the SeaWolves a 3-1 lead. �That lead lasted until the top of the 8th, when the Curve finally got another hit. �Gorkys Hernandez led off with a single, deflected off the glove of the Erie pitcher. �Jim Negrych hit a long fly ball down the right field line... but as the crowd held their breath, the ball drifted foul just at the last second. �Negrych came right back with another long ball, this one to right center where it had no chance of drifting foul. �This bomb was a 2-run homer to tie the game, Negrych's first homer of the season.

Bradenton Marauders 14, �St. Lucie 5 (box)

The Marauders posted 14 hits and 14 runs on their way to an overwhelming victory of the St. Lucie Mets in Bradenton on Friday night. �SS Brock Holt, who joined the team late out of spring training due to injury, celebrated his first game of the 2010 season by going 3-for-5 with a double and 4 RBI. �DH Tony Sanchez went 3-for-4, and had a single, a double, and a homer, plus 3 RBI. �LF Quincy Latimore had "only" 2 hits, but his grand slam gave him 4 RBI. �Only 1B Calvin Anderson had a tough night, as he went hitless and committed 3 fielding errors at first base.

After a quiet 1st inning, Tony Sanchez and Quincy Latimore got the party started in the bottom of the 2nd with back-to-back singles. �Two outs later, C Eric Fryer singled, scoring Sanchez. �2B Greg Picart walked to load the bases, and Brock Holt picked up his first two RBI with a line drive single into center. � Three doubles, by CF Starling Marte, Sanchez, and 3B Jeremy Farrell added two more runs in the 3rd inning. �In the 4th, RF Robbie Grossman singled, stole second, and stole third. �A walk to Marte and Sanchez being hit by a pitch loaded the bases for Latimore. �His grand slam gave the Marauders a 9-1 lead.

A St. Lucie fielding error and singles by Holt and Marte (RBI) contributed one run in the 5th inning. �Then Bradenton added 4 more runs in the 7th. �Fryer led off with a double, Picart reached base on a fielding error, and Holt doubled both of them in. �Sanchez's 2-run homer capped the night for the Marauders.

Aaron Pribanic made the start for Bradenton. �He sailed through the first two innings, and Calvin Anderson's first fielding error was no big deal. �In the 3rd inning, a single, a double, and a passed ball by Eric Fryer gave the Mets one unearned run. �Anderson made another error in the 4th inning, but a double play eliminated that problem. �In the 5th inning with one out, Pribanic gave up a double and a 2-run homer, and he was relieved by Tyler Cox. Cox finished the 5th with a strikeout, then retired the next six batters he faced, including 3 more strikeouts. �That earned him his 3rd win of the season. �Diego Moreno gave up a lone single in the scoreless 8th inning. �Noah Krol took the mound for the 9th, when St. Lucie made a last desperate effort to catch up. �Krol gave up a walk and a double to begin the inning. �With two outs, a wild pitch let the runner from third base score and the runner from second move up to third. �Anderson's third fielding error allowed the next run to score, though it clearly did not make much difference in the outcome. �A ground out ended the game.

With Holt joining the team, a roster spot needed to be opened up. �INF Gift Ngoepe was reassigned to State College to make room, which means he will return to extended spring training right there in Bradenton.

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West Virginia Power 5, �Asheville Tourists �4 (box)

The Power celebrated their home opener with a win over the Tourists, as DH Kyle Morgan's single in the bottom of the 7th inning brought the go-ahead run across the plate. �The Tourists scored in the top of the 1st inning, with a double, a stolen base, and a sacrifice fly off Power starter Quentin Miller. Miller pitched only one inning -- not sure why he was pulled.

The Power bats came to life in the bottom of the 2nd, when LF Rogelios Noris hit a two-out single, and 3B Jesus Brito got the first of three hits in the game, an RBI triple. �RF Wes Freeman walked, and a passed ball let Freeman get to second base, but it wasn't far enough away from the plate to let Brito score from third. �The Power added another run in the 3rd, when SS Benji Gonzalez led off with a walk, and 2B Jarek Cunningham doubled him over to third base. �This time when the Asheville catcher missed for another passed ball, Gonzalez was able to score from third. �1B Aaron Baker grounded to second, but a quick throw to the plate cut down Cunningham as he tried to score. �Gonzalez and Cunningham both singled again in the 5th, and a wild pitch had Gonzalez standing on third base again. �This time Baker was able to pick up the RBI with a sacrifice fly.

Brito, who had also singled in the 4th inning, made it 3-for-3 with a single in the 6th inning, following Noris' lead-off double. �Another fielder's choice on a grounder by C Josue Peley brought in Noris to give the Power a 4-1 lead. �Another scoring opportunity was missed, though, when Brito was out at the plate in a double steal attempt.

Jason Erickson had taken over for Miller in the 2nd inning. �Erickson scattered 3 hits over 4 scoreless innings, striking out 2 batters. �Marc Baca retired the Tourists in order in the 6th, but got into trouble in the 7th. �The inning began with a ground-rule double, a "regular" double, and another ground-rule double, and the Tourists were within one run of the Power, 4-3. �A walk and a sacrifice bunt put runners on second and third bases. �An RBI ground out to short brought in the tying run, and gave Baca a Blown Save. �A hit batter and a stolen base made it runners on first and second. �A long fly ball to the alley in right-center could have meant another two runs, but an amazing diving catch by CF Evan Chambers ended the rally.

That Blown Save turned in to a win in the bottom of the 7th. �Baca was still the pitcher of record when�Chambers was hit by a pitch. �Aaron Baker bounced a ground-rule double over the right field wall, moving Chambers to third base. �Then Kyle Morgan's single up the middle drove in Chambers with the go-ahead run. �Baker also tried to score from second base, but was out at the plate on the throw in from center field. �The one run was enough, though. �Melkin Laureano gave up a walk in the top of the 8th, but did not allow a run to score. �Zachary Foster got four outs in the top of the 9th to earn his first Save. �He struck out three batters in a row, but strike three on the third batter was a wild pitch, allowing the batter to reach first base. �Jarek Cunningham made a diving catch of a pop fly behind second base to end the game.

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Altoona Curve rained out

The Altoona Curve and Erie SeaWolves were rained out in Erie, PA on Friday night. �That game will be made up as part of a double header on May 22nd. �The two teams will play their regularly scheduled (single) game on Saturday, beginning at 1 pm.

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NOTES:

Former Pirate farmhand Danny Bomback has signed a contract with the Pittsfield Colonials of the (independent) Can-Am League.

Altoona Curve �13, �Erie SeaWolves 5 (box)

The Curve exploded for 7 runs in the top of the 9th inning, to take the first game in their series against the SeaWolves in Erie. �The Curve went into the 9th already leading 6-5. �They sent 11 batters to the plate in the 9th, beginning with a single by LF Alex Presley, and SS Chase d'Arnaud being hit by a pitch. �Both moved up one base on a throwing error, and Presley scored on DH Jim Negrych's RBI single. �RF Miles Durham doubled, scoring d'Arnaud, and an intentional walk to C Hector Gimenez loaded the bases. �CF Gorkys Hernandez brought in Negrych with an RBI single. �Then 2B Josh Harrison and 1B Matt Hague greeted a new reliever with back-to-back doubles, each plating two more runs.

Altoona had begun the game with 2 runs in the top of the 1st, when d'Arnaud and Negrych opened the game with two walks, and Gimenez scored both with a 2-RBI double. �Durham's 3-run homer in the 3rd inning followed another walk to Negrych and a single by 3B Jordy Mercer. Hague added a solo home run in the 4th inning.

Tim Alderson started for the Curve and gave up a solo home run to the first batter he faced in the bottom of the 1st. �He gave up another homer in the 5th, after a single and a walk. �Alderson pitched 5 innings, allowing those 4 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks, with 2 strikeouts, to earn his first win of the season. �Dustin Molleken pitched 2.1 innings, and he gave up the SeaWolves' final run in the 7th, on a single and a triple. �The runner on third was thrown out at the plate on a subsequent fielders' choice play, when SS d'Arnaud threw to Hector Gonzalez at the plate for the tag out. Danny Moskos earned his first save with 1.2 scoreless innings, allowing one hit, and striking out 2 batters.

The Curve are now 7-1 for the season -- their best start in franchise history.

West Virginia Power �2, �Charleston River Dogs �0 (box)

Three Power pitchers combined to pitch a 7-hit shutout of the Charleston (South Carolina) River Dogs in a mid-day game in South Carolina today.

The River Dogs had at least one runner on base in every inning, but the Power pitchers did an excellent job of working out of small jams and big jams. �Nate Baker got the star for the Power, and he pitched 5 innings, scattering 3 hits and a walk. �He hit the first batter he faced in the bottom of the 1st, but picked him off first base. �Baker gave up a single later in the 1st and back-to-back singles in the 2nd, but both time ground balls ended the innings. �He also hit batters in the 3rd and the 4th innings, but a timely double play erased one, and a strikeout took care of the second. �The 5th inning was the first time that Charleston got a runner as far as third base against Baker, when the lead-off batter walked, was bunted to second, and moved to third on a ground out. �But Baker easily got another ground out to end the inning.

Gabriel Alvarado took over for Baker to begin the 6th inning. �He gave up a two-out double in that inning, but left that runner on base. �In the 7th, Alvarado gave up a lead-off single and hit the next batter with a pitch. �The next batter dropped a bunt down towards first base, where 1B Aaron Baker scooped it up and tried to throw to third base for the force out. �The throw was wide and actually hit the base runner in the head for an error. �All three runners were safe, and the one who had been hit was ok and was able to stay in the game. �Alvarado remained calm and first got a short fly out, then got the next batter to ground into an inning-ending double play to escape the jam without a run scoring. �Ryan Kelly earned the save with two more scoreless innings. �He gave up a lone single in each of the 8th and the 9th, and both times stranded the runner on base.

The Power batters only scratched out three hits against the River Dogs' pitchers, but they made the hits count. �DH Kyle Morgan led off the 2nd inning with an opposite field double into left. �CF David Rubinstein moved Morgan to third base with a ground out to the right side of the infield. �RF Wes Freeman brought Morgan in with a sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead. �That run stood alone for quite a while, as not too many more Power batters reached base. �2B Jarek Cunningham reached on a fielding error in the 4th, but was thrown out trying to steal second base. �Cunningham must have been jinxing the River Dogs infielders, because he made them commit another error when he led off the 7th inning. �Aaron Baker followed that with a single, putting runners on the corners. �Baker stole second base, and Freeman walked to load the bases with two outs. �LF Jose Hernandez had the remaining Power hit, a�single to deep short, bringing in Cunningham with the (unearned) insurance run. �The Power had two more base runners, but neither scored. �3B Adenson Chourio walked and stole base in the 8th, but was left stranded. �Morgan walked to lead off the 9th, but was forced out on a grounder by Freeman. �Freeman was then caught stealing to end the inning.

The Power now have a 3-4 record and stand in 4th place in the South Atlantic League Northern Division.

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Altoona Curve 4, �Richmond Flying Squirrels 1 (box)

The Giants have moved their AA level team from Connecticut, where they were the Defenders, to Richmond, Virginia, where they are now the... Flying Squirrels? �Richmond had been the home of the Atlanta Braves' AAA team for just about forever, until last season when the Braves moved their affiliate to Gwinnett County, just outside Atlanta. �Now Richmond has a team again.

The Curve curtailed the Squirrels' flying by scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 1st. �With one out, SS Chase d'Arnaud and 3B Jordy Mercer worked back-to-back walks. �A ground out to the right side of the infield moved both runners up one base, and a single by C Hector Gomez on a line drive into center field brought both runs in.

Altoona's starter Justin Wilson zipped through the first two innings. �He gave up a double and a walk in the 3rd, but a fly out kept any runs from scoring. �Another double, a ground out, and an RBI single by the Squirrels cut the Curve lead to one run in the top of the 4th. �The Curve came right back in the bottom of the frame, when RF Miles Durham led off with a double, went to third on Gimenez's sacrifice bunt, and score on 2B Josh Harrison's grounder to short. �They added one more run in the 5th. �Two walks got the Squirrels in trouble again, this time by pinch-hitter Jim Negrych and CF Gorkys Hernandez. Jordy Mercer supplied the RBI single that brought in Negrych with the insurance run. �The Curve had only 4 hits in the game, to 5 by the Squirrels. �1B Matt Hague had the other Curve hit, which was a single in the top of the 9th.

Justin Wilson pitched 5 innings and allowed the one run on 5 hits and a walk, and he struck out 4 batters in his first win of the season. �Tony Watson also struck out 4 batters in his 3 innings of work. �Watson walked 2 batters but did not allow any hits. �Jeff Sues earned his first Save with a perfect 9th inning.

Harrisburg Senators 6, �Altoona Curve 4 (box)

As the world looked in on the baseball-happy town of Altoona, via ESPNews and MLB, Stephen Strasburg made his pro debut against the Curve. �Some people, maybe those who thought Strasburg didn't need to bother with the minors at all, �may have thought that Strasburg would breeze through this start. �The Curve were not among that group, though. �Yes, Strasburg got his first pro win in his first pro start. �Yes, he did strike out 8 batters. �But the Curve did not make it easy, as they scored 4 runs off Strasburg on 4 hits and 2 walks, and reminded Strasburg and anyone else that those guys with the bats in their hands are dangerous, no matter who's on the mound.

With Curve radio broadcaster Dan Zangrilli and former Pirate pitcher Stan Belinda doing the honors on national tv, Strasburg started off strong. �He got 2B Jim Negrych on a sky-high pop out to short, and got CF Gorkys Hernandez to ground out. �Then LF Alex Presley lined Strasburg's 2-0 pitch to the base of the wall in right field, and sped around to score when RF Miles Durham followed with a line drive into center field. �C Kris Watts worked a walk, even though the 4th ball came in at 98 mph. �3B Josh Harrison struck out to end the inning, but the Curve had scored a run off Strasburg.

Strasburg settled down to retire the Curve in order in the 2nd and 3rd innings, with 2 strikeouts in each. �He began the 4th inning with a fly out off Durham's bat, but then Kris Watts worked another walk. �Josh Harrison bounced a grounder to Harrisburg SS (and former Curve and Indy Indian) Pedro Lopez. �Lopez scooped up the ball as he was moving behind second base, and flipped it to his 2B Michael Martinez. �But Martinez missed the flip, and instead of an inning-ending double play, both runners were safe. �1B Shelby Ford struck out, then SS Jose De Los Santos slipped a single just under his counterpart Lopez's glove and into center field. �Watts scored easily, and when the throw in from CF Leonard Davis came in to the plate way up the line and got past the Harrisburg catcher, Harrison rounded third and slid into the plate just ahead of the tag. �Next up was Altoona pitcher Rudy Owens, who had told the Altoona Mirror's Cory Geiger that he was more concerned about his first professional plate appearance against Strasburg than about pitching against the big prospect. �(Below the AA level, designated hitters are always used and pitchers never hit.) �Owens needn't have worried. �He collected his first pro hit and his first RBI too, with a single up the middle, scoring De Los Santos from third base. �A strikeout ended the inning, with the Curve ahead 4-0.

Remember to tune in to ESPNews on Sunday afternoon after 2 pm (Eastern), to see Harrisburg's Stephen Strasburg pitch against the Altoona Curve. �They have said that they will only show the half innings when Strasburg is on the mound, but that means we get to take a look at the Curve batters.

On to Saturday evening's games:

Altoona Curve 1, �Harrisburg Senators 0 (box)

These two teams took a scoreless tie into the bottom of the 10th inning, but the Curve came out on top with their third win of the season. �That was when 2B Josh Harrison led off with a single through the hole into left field. �C Kris Watts dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Harrison to second base, and LF Jim Negrych walked. �LF/RF Jose De Los Santos was the hero of the night, with his RBI double into left field to bring Harrison home with the only run of the game.

Prior to that inning, the Curve had only managed two hits. �RF/1B Miles Durham singled in the bottom of the 1st inning, and 3B Jordy Mercer walked, but both were left on base when the inning ended. �Senators' pitcher Tom Milone retired the next 16 Curve batters in order, has he pitched 6 scoreless innings. �The Curve batters managed two walks off Harrisburg reliever Rafael Martin in the 7th inning, but again they were both left stranded. �Mercer singled in the 9th inning, but was forced out at second on a grounder.

The Curve pitching staff were keeping up with their Harrisburg counterparts. �Tim Alderson made his first start of the season and threw 5 scoreless innings. �He gave up two singles in the top of the 1st, but CF Gorkys Hernandez's throw in to 2B Josh Harrison was in time to force out the lead runner at second base. �Alderson scattered a walk and two more singles over the next three innings, and then retired the side in order in the 5th. �He also struck out two batters. �Reliever Derek Hankins took over for Alderson to begin the 6th inning. �Hankins pitched 2 innings and gave up 2 walks, with one wild pitch, but did not allow a run to score. �Ronald Uviedo took the next two innings, and he walked just one batter then erased him with a double play. �Danny Moskos came on to pitch the top of the 10th inning and retired the side in order. �Moskos was the pitcher of record when De Los Santos hit his walk-off double in the bottom of the inning, so he was credited with the win.

Altoona Curve �6, �Harrisburg Senators 1 (box)

Starter Jared Hughes earned his first win of the season with 5 solid innings of work for the Curve tonight. �Hughes retired the first 11 Senators he faced, before giving up a solo home run to CF Leonard Davis in the 4th inning. �That was the only run he would allow. �Hughes allowed a single after the home run, but left that runner stranded. �In the 5th, the first three Senators reached base on three consecutive singles. �But Hughes calmly struck out the next two batters, then got a force out at second base to end the inning without a run scoring.

The Curve got onto the scoreboard in the bottom of the 3rd inning. �With two outs, CF Gorkys Hernandez and SS Chase d'Arnaud hit back-to-back singles. �3B Jordy Mercer followed with a line drive into left field for a 2-RBI double. �Hernandez and d'Arnaud contributed to the Curve's 3-run 4th inning also. �C Hector Gimenez opened the inning with a single, and advanced to third base when CF Davis misplayed the ball. �A walk to 2B Josh Harrison put runners on the corners for 1B Matt Hague. �Hague's sacrifice fly plated Gimenez. �LF Alex Presley and Hernandez both singled, with Hernandez's bringing in Harrison. �D'Arnaud added a double to bring Presley home with the third run of the inning, giving the Curve a 5-1 lead. �Mercer scored the final Curve run in the 7th, when he led off with a single and stole second base. �He advanced to third base on a ground out, then scored on Harrison's RBI single up the middle.

The Curve bullpen wrapped up the game with four scoreless innings. �Tony Watson pitched the 6th and 7th innings, giving up only one walk, while striking out 2 batters. �Dustin Molleken pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 8th. �Jeff Sues loaded the bases with two outs on two walks and a single in the 9th inning, but got the necessary grounder to short to end the inning without a run scoring.

Bradenton Marauders 18, �Fort Myers Miracle 3 (box)

The Marauders began their inaugural season in the Florida State League with a hit-a-thon, as they posted 16 hits on their was to 18 runs. �Two 7-run innings took care of most of the scoring and sent the Ft. Myers' pitching staff scrambling. �Each member of the Bradenton lineup except one had at least one hit, and most had two hits. �1B Calvin Anderson did not have a hit, but he walked twice and came around to score. �LF Quincy Latimore went 3-for-3 with a solo home run and two RBI singles. �RF Robbie Grossman had a 3-run homer, and 3B Jeremy Farrell contributed 7 RBI with a 3-run homer in the 7th inning and a grand slam in the 4th. �CF Starling Marte singled and doubled, walked, and scored 4 times. �C Tony Sanchez had two RBI singles.

The scoring started with Latimore's homer in the bottom of the 2nd. �Singles by Latimore and Grossman, plus an error by the Miracle and a passed ball added two more runs in the 3rd. �The 7-run 4th inning followed, as the Marauders sent 11 batters to the plate. �Grossman's homer and Farrell's grand slam, plus a wild pitch with the bases loaded accounted for those 7 runs. �Marte's double and an RBI single from Sanchez tacked on a run in the 5th. �The 7th was the second 7-run inning, as the Marauders sank the Miracle with two walks, four singles, a wild pitch that allowed a run to score, and Farrell's 3-run shot.