Cruz, Griffin Lead 4-2 Win over Reading

Altoona remains in first place in the Southwest Division with 19 games remaining in the Second Half.

By Jon Mozes

August 23, 2025

CURVE, Pa. – Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz tripled home the go-ahead run in the fifth inning and Konnor Griffin added an RBI single and two stolen bases in a 4-2 win for the Curve over the Reading Fightin Phils in front of 8,037 fans at Peoples Natural Gas Field. Cruz,

CURVE, Pa. – Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz tripled home the go-ahead run in the fifth inning and Konnor Griffin added an RBI single and two stolen bases in a 4-2 win for the Curve over the Reading Fightin Phils in front of 8,037 fans at Peoples Natural Gas Field.

Cruz, who played seven innings in the field on his way back from a concussion, went 1-for-4 with an RBI triple in his first game on Major League rehab with the Curve. His RBI triple in the fifth inning gave the Curve a 3-2 lead and three pitches later, Griffin drove a base hit through the right side of the infield to build Altoona’s lead to 4-2.

Altoona’s bullpen combination of Po-Yu Chen, Jaden Woods and Tyler Samaniego combined for six scoreless innings in relief. Chen earned the victory with three scoreless frames of relief after starter Antwone Kelly. Curve pitchers combined for nine strikeouts in the win, with Samaniego securing his third consecutive save with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Esmerlyn Valdez drew the game even with an RBI single in the fourth inning. Termarr Johnson picked up two hits in the win, recording his 25^th multi-hit game of the season. Kervin Pichardo added two hits out of the eighth slot in the batting order.

Konnor Griffin picked up two more stolen bases in the victory, raising his season total to 62. Griffin has gone 5-for-19 with a walk and three runs batted in in his first five games with the Curve. Johnson’s two-hit game raised his batting average to .368 in 15 games during the month of August.

Altoona continues their series on Sunday night at 6:00 p.m. against the Reading Fightin Phils. LHP Dominic Perachi is slated to start for the Curve with RHP Griff McGarry slated to start for Reading.

For tickets and more information on the 2025 Altoona Curve Season, presented by Stuckey Automotive, visit AltoonaCurve.com, call 877.99.CURVE or stop by the PNG Field box office. Additionally, the Stockyard Team Store is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., during every home game and online 24/7/365.