The Altoona Curve is making a habit of late rallies and more importantly, picking up wins after trailing in games. On Tuesday night at Blair County Ballpark, Altoona didn’t get a hit until the bottom of the fourth, and couldn’t put a run on the scoreboard until Akron was leading 2-0. Add to that, the Aeros put three more unearned runs up in the seventh off Curve starter Bryan Bullington to take a 5-1 lead.
But that didn’t seem to faze the Pirates Double-A franchise in Altoona. The Curve, held to one run and three hits by Akron starter Jeremy Guthrie over the first seven innings, came alive with one in the eighth, three in the ninth to tie the game and send it into extra innings and then got the walkoff single by Ray Sadler in the 10th for their second straight extra-inning win and ninth triumph in 10 games overall this season against the Aeros 6-5.
“We don’t think the game is over until the last out is made,” explained centerfielder Chris Duffy, who rapped doubles in both the eighth and ninth innings after going 0-for-3 and slipping in the first inning to allow Aeros leadoff hitter Scott Pratt to get a triple and then score the first run on a sac fly. “That shows the character on our team. No lead is safe, we take one at bat at a time and try to make things happen. We get a different hero every night.”
Bullington deserved more than just a no-decision pitching the first six and 2/3 innings, allowing five runs, only two earned on six hits with three strikeouts and two walks.
Yurendell DeCaster supplied the only Altoona tally over the first seven innings went he went deep beyond the left field bleachers for his 11th home run and 27th RBI of the season with one out in the fifth.
In the eighth, Duffy doubled and advanced to third on a deep fly out to center by Shaun Skrehot, who was sent back to Altoona after hitting .293 with five home runs, 15 RBI and five stolen bases in 39 games at Triple-A level Nashville. Nate McLouth got Duffy home on a bouncer to second base to cut the Akron lead to 5-2.
Ronnie Paulino got things started in the ninth with a one-out double and Ray Sadler moved him to third with a single to left that runners at the corners. Curve manager Tony Beasley had Eastern League batting leader Jeff Keppinger (.403) pinch hit for second baseman Ray Navarrete. Keppinger, who had the day off until then, slammed a ball to center that Akron’s Pratt dove for and missed, Keppinger wound up at third base with a triple on the play and both Paulino and Sadler scored to cut the Akron lead to 5-4. DeCaster tied the score with a sacrifice fly to center that got Keppinger home.
Curve reliever Jason Alcala got out of the top of the 10th inning after surviving a two-on, two-out situation, and Altoona scored the game-winner on a single up the middle by Sadler.
Nate McLouth bunted and beat it out for a hit to open the frame. McLouth pushed the ball hard to the left of Akron left-handed pitcher Derrick Van Duesen, who got his glove on it, but couldn’t make the play. Josh Bonifay dropped a perfect sacrifice bunt down the first base line to move McLouth to second. Paulino flied out to short center to set the stage for Sadler, who bounced a shot between the second baseman and shortstop to score McLouth with the winning tally.
“Tough games, the last two games. Everybody’s coming through in the late innings, like with the bunt, said Sadler. “Another guy to get him over. It’s just playing as a team and getting it done.”
Alcala, who said he was not nervous with the situation or the crowd of 5,145 was added to the Curve’s roster on Tuesday, along with Shaun Skrehot, came from Single-A Lynchburg where he was 1-1 with an ERA of 1.91 with 27 strikeouts and only six walks in 28 and 1/3 innings. Alcala was signed by the Pirates in 1997 and is in his seventh professional season, Alcala, a native of Cumana, Venezuela, was 16 when he originally signed.
“No, I wasn’t nervous. I had pitched in front of 20,000 people before,” said Alcala. “I did feel a little bit special to get the win the first night here.”
The right-hander entered the game for his first experience at the Double-A level with two outs and the bases full of Aeros in the seventh after Akron had scored three unearned runs to go ahead 5-1 at the time. Alcala took just one pitch to get a fly out to end the inning, then pitched scoreless ball over the next three innings to pick up the victory, allowing no runs on two hits, with three strikeouts and no walks. In the top of the ninth, Tyler Mingus singled with one out and advanced to third on a two out base hit by Cody Smith, buy Alcala fanned Joe Inglett to end the threat.
“He was the key tonight for us,” said Curve manager Beasley in explaining the importance of the job done by Alcala. “He came in and kept the game at bay. He gave us a chance to hang around and hopefully get something going, which we did. He did an outstanding job. He came in with the bases loaded, that’s not the way you like to introduce a kid to Double-A ball. That’s what we had to do tonight and he stepped up to the challenge.”
The Curve continue their series with Akron tonight at 7:05 at BCB. Right-hander Ian Snell (5-3, 3.15 ERA) will pitch for Altoona, while Akron will counter with right-hander Dan Denhem (7-4, 4.18 with High-A Class Kinston).
