AKRON, Ohio - A five-run third inning for the Akron RubberDucks was too much to overcome for the Altoona Curve in a 7-2 loss at Canal Park on Tuesday.Domingo Robles (Loss, 2-2) needed just 19 pitches in two scoreless innings against the RubberDucks (40-44, 6-9) but the Curve (43-38, 8-6)
AKRON, Ohio - A five-run third inning for the Akron RubberDucks was too much to overcome for the Altoona Curve in a 7-2 loss at Canal Park on Tuesday.
Domingo Robles (Loss, 2-2) needed just 19 pitches in two scoreless innings against the RubberDucks (40-44, 6-9) but the Curve (43-38, 8-6) starter labored over 31 throws to get one out in the third. His lone out that inning before his early exit was a sacrifice fly by Ernie Clement to tie the contest, 1-1. The next batter, Ka'ai Tom, ripped a go-ahead triple off the base of the center field wall that gave Akron the lead for good.
Robles walked two hitters around an infield, RBI single by Connor Marabell and gave way to Yeudy Garcia with the bases loaded. Mitch Longo greeted Garcia with an RBI single to left to make the score 4-1. Garcia walked Nellie Rodríguez to score another and induced an inning-ending double play to finish the five-run frame.
Akron added one run in the fourth when Connor Smith started the inning with his second double of the game and scored on Clement's triple off the right field wall. Longo finished the scoring when he started the eighth with a solo homer to right off Angel German .
Three batters into the game for the Curve resulted in the first run of the contest when Mitchell Tolman doubled and scored on an RBI single to center by Jared Oliva . However, Jake Paulson (Win, 6-5) settled in for the 'Ducks after he rolled an inning-ending double play to close the first and danced around seven hits that yielded two runs. Jason Delay and Alfredo Reyes connected on doubles in the fifth to score their second run. Paulson totaled six innings and six strikeouts without a walk.
Delay went 2-for-3 with a walk and two doubles while Reyes also reached three times with a 2-for-3 night and a walk. Oliva paced the offense with three singles that beat Akron's defensive shift. On the mound, Blake Cederlind struck out three over two scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth.
The game started 35 minutes late due to a rain delay, the ninth in-game or pregame delay for the Curve this season.
The series wraps up on Wednesday with the rubber match in the Rubber City at 7:05 p.m. Right-hander Pedro Vasquez (6-1, 2.30) will start for Altoona against Akron left-hander Sam Hentges (1-8, 4.97).
The Curve kick off a four-game series on Thursday, July 4 against the Erie SeaWolves with a special gate-opening time of 5:30 p.m. Patriotic FIREWORKS will be after the ballgame while fans can enter the Starling Marte autographed jersey raffle on the LiveSource App throughout the game. For tickets or more information, 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.
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