Curve Drop 2 Game Set to Baysox

CURVE, Pa. - The Altoona Curve were swept on Wednesday afternoon by the Bowie Baysox, falling in the completion of Tuesday night's suspended game, 7-4, and the regularly-scheduled game, 4-1.  Tony Sanchez, who started the first game, went 1-for-4 with three RBI in the losing effort and in doing so extended his consecutive games-on-base streak to 18 games.

Altoona and Bowie picked up where they left off on Tuesday night with the Baysox batting in the top of the fourth inning with the bases loaded and two away.  Tim Alderson (1-1) came on to resume the game for the Curve and immediately worked out of the jam by inducing a foul out off the bat of Brandon Waring to end the inning.

The game stayed tied at four until the fifth when Alderson permitted an RBI double off the bat of Carlos Rojas to plate Manny Machado, who also had doubled earlier in the inning.  It was the first run allowed by Alderson in a Curve uniform this year, a streak that lasted a total of 14 innings.

Bowie added two more runs off the right hander in the seventh when Ronnie Welty hit a solo home run with two down.  Rojas followed Welty's home run with a single and that ended the day for Alderson, who gave way to Vic Black.  Black gave up a single to Jonathan Schoop before an RBI single by Zelous Wheeler made it a 7-4 game.

The Curve had their best chance to get on the board in the seventh when Quincy Latimore and Kelson Brown singled back-to-back to begin the inning.  Latimore was then caught off of second base by the catcher Caleb Joseph for the inning's first out and the inning went quietly after that.

Chris Petrini (1-0), who started the game in relief for Bowie, picked up the win in his first appearance with Bowie since being called up from High-A Frederick yesterday.

Things started out well for the Curve and starter Mike Colla (0-4) in the second game as Colla struck out the side in the first and the Curve got on the board first in the bottom half of the inning.  Robbie Grossman drew a walk to start things off and then stole second to put himself in scoring position.  With one down, Jeremy Farrell strolled to the plate and smacked a single into centerfield that was plenty deep enough to bring in Grossman and give Altoona a 1-0 lead.

Colla faced the minimum through the first three innings before running into trouble in the fourth.  Steven Bumbry led off the inning with his first home run of the year to tie the game at one.  Colla then walked Wheeler ahead of L.J. Hoes, who hit a two-run homer to place Bowie out in front for the remainder of the contest.  The Baysox added another run later in the inning on an RBI single by Robbie Widlansky.

Altoona's best chance to get back in the second game against Bobby Bundy (2-5) came in the fifth when they loaded the bases with two away.  Farrell was at the plate but grounded into an inning-ending force out.

After a 3-3 homestand, Altoona (13-18) hits the road beginning Thursday as they'll embark on a seven-game, eight-day road trip through Erie and Bowie.  The Curve will send RHP Phillip Irwin to the mound in the lid lifter of a four-game series at Jerry Uht Park in Erie on Thursday with a first pitch of 6:35 p.m.  The Howlers will counter with RHP Zack Segovia (3-2, 3.89) on Thursday night.

--Curve Media Relations--