Curve Beat Bowie 7-1

ALTOONA- Romulo Sanchez worked three scoreless innings of relief and earned the win as the Curve beat the Bowie Baysox, 7-1, to level their four-game series at a game apiece Sunday night at Blair County Ballpark.

Justin Vaclavik, normally a reliever, made the start for the Curve in the place of Kip Bouknight who was promoted to triple-A Indianapolis last week.  Vaclavik set the tone, allowing a lone run in three innings.  That run scored in the first as the Baysox jumped to a 1-0 lead.

Sanchez (4-2) worked three scoreless innings through the sixth to earn the win.  The Curve also got a pair of scoreless innings from Chris Hernandez and one from Wardell Starling.

Meanwhile, the Curve offense got all the runs they would need in the third inning.  Bowie starter Fredy Deza walked Taber Lee with one out and Brandon Chaves followed with a triple to right-center field to tie the game, 1-1.  Chaves scored on a ground ball from Vic Buttler that was misplayed by Bowie second baseman Pago Figueroa.  Deza retired Neil Walker but walked Steven Pearce to put two aboard.  The Baysox then opted to intentionally walk Alex Fernandez to load the bases and face Andrew McCutchen.  McCutchen made Bowie pay with a two-run single for a 4-1 Curve lead.

Pearce and Buttler each knocked in runs with singles off of reliever Rommie Lewis in the Curve sixth as they stretched their lead to 6-1.  Pearce then added his 50th RBI of the season by singling in Chaves in the eighth to cap the scoring.

Deza (3-6) was saddled with the loss for the Baysox.  The win was just the second for the Curve in the nine games played between the two clubs at Blair County Ballpark this season.

Game three is slated for Monday night at 7:05 PM.  RHP Derek Hankins (0-0, 0.00) who was promoted from Lynchburg (A) on Sunday will make his Curve debut against RHP Beau Hale (5-3, 4.37) for the Baysox

-Altoona Curve