CURVE, Pa. – The Altoona Curve took both games of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Richmond Flying Squirrels, winning the first game 3-1 and taking the night cap 2-1, in front of a season-best crowd of 5,541 fans at Peoples Natural Gas Field.
Tyler Eppler (Win, 2-2) turned in a complete-game for Altoona (13-16) in game one, allowing just one run – a solo home run to Steve Lerud in the third inning – while striking out two Richmond (10-18) hitters and walking one in his seven innings of work.
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth, and still looking for their first hit against Flying Squirrels starter Chase Johnson (Loss, 1-3), the Curve tied the game on a wild pitch from Johnson to score Harold Ramirez, and Jose Osuna drove home Erich Weiss to make it 2-1.
Weiss drove home the final run of game one, extending his RBI streak to six games, by doubling home Chris Diaz, extending the lead to 3-1.
The Curve tallied just two hits in the second game, but both of them plated runs in the 2-1 win.
Altoona took the first lead when Anderson Feliz singled home Stetson Allie with the Curve’s first hit of the game in the third inning, but Richmond answered in the next half inning with a single by Hunter Cole to tie the game at 1-1.
Tied 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth, Jonathan Schwind crushed his first home run of the season over the left-field wall, giving the Curve a 2-1 lead. Montana DuRapau (Save, 6) walked a pair of Richmond hitters in the top of the seventh, but stranded both runners in retiring the side to record his sixth save of the season.
Flying Squirrels starter Joan Gregorio (Loss, 0-2) failed to strikeout at least six batters in a start for the first time this season, turning in five innings with two allowed runs over two hits, one walk and three strikeouts.
Altoona and Richmond will bring the three-game series to a close on Sunday. Scheduled first pitch is 1 p.m., and Curve right-handed pitcher Frank Duncan (2-1, 1.20) will get the spot start for Altoona, while the Flying Squirrels will send lefty Matt Gage (0-3, 5.49) to the mound.
The gates will open at noon on Sunday, and the first 500 moms through the PNG Field gates will receive a Gratitude Journal for Mother’s Day. There will also be a youth clinic running from 10 a.m. to noon with the players and coaches on the field, which is free for kids with a ticket to the game.
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