Curve Cruz to 11-3 Win on Friday night
CURVE, PA – In his first game back from the injured list, Oneil Cruz went 3-for-5 with two doubles and three runs batted in to lead a 10-hit attack for the Altoona Curve in an 11-3 win over the Somerset Patriots in front of 5,091 fans at Peoples Natural Gas
CURVE, PA – In his first game back from the injured list, Oneil Cruz went 3-for-5 with two doubles and three runs batted in to lead a 10-hit attack for the Altoona Curve in an 11-3 win over the Somerset Patriots in front of 5,091 fans at Peoples Natural Gas Field on Friday night.
In his first game back after nearly seven weeks on the injured list, Cruz singled through the right side of the infield on the first pitch he saw from Somerset starter Jhony Brito. He came around to score on a two-run double from Matt Fraizer to give the Curve an early 2-0.
Jack Suwinski homered twice in the contest with an opposite field solo shot in the second inning and a rocket line drive shot in the fourth inning to extend the lead. Suwinski’s multi-homer game was the sixth of the season by a Curve player and the third in his career.
Altoona put the game away with seven runs across the fifth and sixth inning. Cruz doubled in Ji-Hwan Bae in the fifth inning with a rocket liner to right-center and scored on Mason Martin’s single to left-center. Later in the frame, Cal Mitchell added an RBI single to take a 7-2 advantage for Altoona. The Curve used two walks and a hit batsman to load the bases with nobody out in the sixth before Cruz lined a shot over the leap of the right fielder Thomas Milone to score two more and put the game away.
Osvaldo Bido delivered his longest start of the season, 6.2 innings pitched, to earn his third win. Bido allowed two runs on four hits and two walks, he struck out six on 99 pitches, 65 strikes. Brad Case and Oddy Nunez combined for 2.1 innings of relief to finish the ballgame for Altoona.
Each Curve batter, except Diego Castillo, reached base safely in the game. Bae recorded his second straight multi-hit game in the series and scored three runs. Fraizer and Cruz each drove in three runs in the game.
The Curve continue their series with the Patriots on Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. LHP Omar Cruz (2-2, 3.33) will start for Altoona, with RHP Shawn Semple (5-2, 3.68) slated for Somerset.
For tickets or more information about Curve Baseball, 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 5 p.m., during every home game and online 24/7/365.