Curve Win Series opener against Baysox at Bowie

Like their finale with the Harrisburg Senators during which Altoona plated five in the first in a 5-4 win, the Curve opened strong on Friday before quieting down at the plate. Altoona got two runs in each of the first two innings on a combined seven hits to seize an early 4-0 lead. Brock Holt, Matt Curry, Robbie Grossman, and Jarek Cunningham all drove in runs for the Curve against Bowie's Mike Wright, making his first start in Double-A.

After Bowie got a run back in the bottom of the second, Altoona's bats went quiet. Like Thursday, when the Curve had just one hit after the first, Altoona went through the fifth hitless on Friday while the Baysox chipped away. Bowie pulled to within one run at 4-3 against Curve starter Tim Alderson but fell short of getting the one big hit they needed at multiple times.

Unlike Thursday, the Curve got a big insurance run they needed in the sixth when Jeremy Farrell crushed a Wright (0-1) offering over the left field wall and off the scoreboard to extend Altoona's advantage to 5-3.

 After Alderson's exit with two gone in the fifth, Mike Colla (1-4) and Kris Harvey (S, 1) combined to close out the Baysox the rest of the way. Bowie stranded men on base in four of its final fine innings, going 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position as a team on the day.

From Altoona Curve reports: