CURVE, Pa. – The Altoona Curve snapped a three-game losing skid while running away from the Richmond Flying Squirrels with a 10-2 win on Friday night at Peoples Natural Gas Field. The Curve clubbed 13 hits, including three triples, to take the second game of the four-game set.
The Curve (6-9) added to their league-best triples total with three in the game and now have 11 for the year. Harold Ramirez tripled twice as part of his three hits on Friday night while driving in four runs and scoring three times.
Richmond (6-10) committed three errors and surrendered six unearned runs as Altoona brought 11 batters to the plate to put the game out of reach in the eighth inning.
Ramirez opened the scoring in the third two a two-run triple and then came in to score on a wild pitch by Richmond starter Joan Gregorio (Loss, 0-1) to open a 3-0 Curve lead.
After a Ramirez clubbed his second triple in the seventh, Erich Weiss singled to bring him in to score and push the Curve lead to 4-1.
Richmond plated a second run in the top of the eighth, but three defensive miscues by the Flying Squirrels in the bottom of the frame sparked a big offensive inning for the Curve. With the bases loaded and one out, Barrett Barnes reached on a fielding error by catcher Matt Winn and a run scored. The next batter, Jose Osuna, picked up an RBI and reached on a throwing error by relief pitcher Tyler Rogers as two runs came across the plate to put the Curve ahead, 6-2.
Ramirez followed with a single to bring in two more runs. After a single by Weiss, Edwin Espinal, grounded into a force out to bring Ramirez across the plate to cap the six-run inning and give the Curve a 10-2 lead.
Altoona starter David Whitehead (Win, 1-1) allowed just one hit over five innings, but allowed six walks and hit two batters. It is the second straight start that Whitehead has held Richmond to one hit and no runs in five innings of work.
Curve reliever Josh Smith saw a streak of 22.2 innings without allowing an earned run come to an end after allowing a home run to Matt Winn in the sixth inning for the Squirrels’ first run of the game.
Osuna now has an RBI in five consecutive games. Barnes went three-for-four with a triple and a run scored.
The Curve and Flying Squirrels play the third of the four-game set on Saturday afternoon at PNG Field. Right-hander Jason Creasy (2-0, 5.63) will start for Altoona, with lefty Matt Gage (0-1, 8.22) on the mound for Richmond. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The games open at noon on Saturday and the Curve will honor their founders and owners with a Bob & Joan Lozinak Double Bobblehead giveaway to the first 1,000 fans, presented by Peoples. The bobblehead honors the Lozinaks, who will be inducted into the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Blair County Convention Center on Saturday night.
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