Curve Finally Solve Aeros

CURVE, Pa. - The Curve made sure Saturday night's game would not come down to the wire once more with Akron as they hammered out 13 runs on 13 hits en route to a 13-5 win in front of a season-best crowd of 6,152 at Peoples Natural Gas Field.  The win helped Altoona emphatically end a seven-game losing streak against the Aeros this season.

It was all Altoona from the get-go on Saturday with the Curve grabbing two runs in the first inning off Aeros starter Brett Brach (2-3), who struggled with command for most of the evening.  With the bases clear and two down, Stefan Welch worked a walk and stole second before Matt Curry clubbed his third home run of the season to put the Curve up, 2-0.

Shairon Martis (6-2) kept the Aeros at arms length in the top of the second before the Curve sent 10 men to the plate and scored six times in the bottom of the second.  Quincy Latimore started the inning with a heads-up bunt towards third with third baseman Adam Abraham playing back.  Latimore raced to first and ended up at second after Abraham threw errantly toward first.  Drew Maggi followed Latimore's bunt with one of his own to move Latimore to third and place runners at the corners.

Evan Chambers came to the plate and hit a liner towards second that was too hot to handle for Matt Lawson as he couldn't make a play.  Latimore trotted home from third and the Curve went in front, 3-0.

The inning continued two batters later when Brock Holt cleared the remaining Curve from the bases with a triple into right field that scored Maggi and Chambers.  Brach retired Welch on a groundout for the second out but once again fell victim to his own control issues by permitting back-to-back free passes to Curry and Miles Durham to setup Ramon Cabrera.  Cabrera cashed in with a single through the right side to bring Holt and Curry in and it was 7-0.

Latimore, who started the inning, stood at the plate once more and watched a wild pitch go by that allowed Durham to come home from third for the inning's sixth run and all told the eighth of the game for the Curve.

Akron finally got on the scoreboard in the third when Chun Chen homered to start the inning but the game was never out of control for the Curve, who added on four runs in the fifth and one more in the seventh.

Five different Curve players had two hits on Saturday night while Holt led the RBI charge with four, the most for the shortstop this season.  The four runs driven in by Holt tie a career high, which was last accomplished April 16, 2010 when Holt drove in four versus the St. Lucie Mets as a member of the Bradenton Marauders.  His 2-for-4 day also extended his consecutive games-on-base streak to 19 games, which is tied for a team best with Tony Sanchez, who reached base safely in 19 straight from April 10^th through May 10^th.

Martis finished six innings and permitted five runs while earning his sixth win of the season.  Nathan Baker continued his strong work out of the 'pen with two more scoreless innings of relief.  Vic Black pitched a perfect ninth to seal the win.

--Curve Media Relations--