CURVE, Pa. – After falling behind 7-0, the Altoona Curve came from behind to beat the Erie SeaWolves, 11-10, in the series-opener on Friday night at Peoples Natural Gas Field.
(Photo: Montana DuRapau. Photo courtest of Altoona Curve)
Altoona (23-15) beat Erie (18-20) to take the first game of the three-game series and the seven-game homestand. The Curve are now 13-3 at Peoples Natural Gas Field in 2017 and right-hander Montana DuRapau (Save, 8) notched his 30th save in a Curve uniform, breaking the record for the most in franchise history.
Tied 7-7 going into the sixth inning, Altoona went ahead with a four-run frame. Kevin Newman ripped an RBI double down the left-field line for the first run of the inning. Kevin Kramer was walked intentionally to load the bases, and Connor Joe roped a bases-clearing, three-run double to the gap in right-center field to give the Curve a 11-7 lead.
Down 7-0 after the top of the first inning, the Curve cut into the deficit in the bottom of the first. After a run scored on an error, Wyatt Mathisen drove in a run with a single and Jerrick Suiter followed with a two-run triple. A batter later, Jackson Williams ripped an RBI single to cap off a five-run inning and trim Erie’s lead to 7-5.
After Kramer hit a solo home run in the second inning, Williams hit an RBI groundout in the third to tie the game at 7-7.
Christin Stewart got the scoring started with a grand slam off of Curve starter Alex McRae to put Erie up 4-0 in the first. Kody Eaves chased McRae from the game with a two-run home run to give the SeaWolves a 6-0 lead and Harold Castro hit an RBI double off of Jared Lakind for the seventh run of the inning.
Erie scored three more runs in the seventh inning to cut the deficit to 11-10, before DuRapau held the SeaWolves scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings.
McRae recorded just one out and threw 29 pitches before being removed from the game. He allowed six runs (five earned) on four hits. Lakind came on and pitched 3 2/3 innings and allowed one run on one hit while striking out six. Buddy Borden (Win, 2-0) allowed his first two earned runs of the season in 2 1/3 innings of work. After Luis Heredia recorded the final two outs of the eighth inning, DuRapau came on and completed the two-inning save while striking out two.
DuRapau finished the night with a strikeout of Gabirel Quintana, moving him ahead of Matt Peterson for the most saves in an Altoona Curve career.
Tyler Alexander, Erie’s starter, also did not make it out of the first inning. He recorded two outs on 34 pitches and allowed five runs on four hits. Santiago Garrido allowed two earned runs on four hits in 4 1/3 innings, and Kurt Spomer (Loss, 2-2) allowed all four runs to come across in the home half of the sixth.
Altoona will continue the homestand on Saturday for game two in the series against Erie. The Curve will send left-hander Brandon Waddell (0-1, 6.75) to the mound, opposite of right-hander Artie Lewicki (2-1, 4.76) for the SeaWolves. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Peoples Natural Gas Field.
