Curve Shutout in Fifth Straight Defeat
AKRON, OH – Altoona suffered their seventh shutout loss of the season on Thursday night, falling 5-0 to the Akron RubberDucks at Canal Park. The Curve have dropped 8-of-10 games as the calendar turned from August to September. Omar Cruz faced the minimum through three innings thanks to a pair
AKRON, OH – Altoona suffered their seventh shutout loss of the season on Thursday night, falling 5-0 to the Akron RubberDucks at Canal Park. The Curve have dropped 8-of-10 games as the calendar turned from August to September.
Omar Cruz faced the minimum through three innings thanks to a pair of double play balls, but Akron’s Bryan Rocchio hit a solo homer in the fourth inning to record the game’s first run and the ‘Ducks never looked back. Cruz was charged with the loss despite allowing just one run on four hits and three walks over 4.2 innings pitched. Cruz struck out three and threw 84 pitches, 52 strikes in the loss.
Altoona managed one baserunner in each of their first six innings at the plate, but could not solve Akron starter Peyton Battenfield. Battenfield threw six innings and picked up the victory for the second time this season against the Curve, he struck out six on four hits and one walk. Dakody Clemmer, Ben Krauth and Nick Mikolajchak combined to hold the Curve to just one hit over the final three innings, a double from Jack Suwinski with two outs in the ninth inning, to finish off the shutout.
Suwinski picked up two doubles in the contest as Ji-Hwan Bae, Josh Bissonette, and Grant Koch each singled to round out the offensive attack for Altoona. Bae’s a bunt single in the third inning extended his on-base streak to a season-best 15 games. He also stole his 18th base of the season in the third inning of the game.
The Curve will continue their six-game series at Canal Park with the Akron RubberDucks, Double-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. RHP Travis MacGregor (3-8, 6.90) will start for Altoona, with LHP Adam Scott (2-2, 3.12) slated for Akron.
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.
.@jacksuwinski flashes some leather in the 7th, but we trail it 4-0 as we roll to the 8th.
— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) September 3, 2021
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