Grand fifth innings boosts comeback over Akron

AKRON, Ohio - Hunter Owen led a five-run fifth inning with a go-ahead grand slam to center field as the Altoona Curve topped the Akron RubberDucks, 7-6, at Canal Park on Friday.
The home run by Owen was his first at Double-A and the second grand slam of his pro career.
Tweet from @AltoonaCurve: GRAND SLAM, @Hunter_Owen11! 💪 Curve 7, Akron 5 in the fifth pic.twitter.com/NWaJolUpe8

During the five-run the fifth, Bligh Madris hit his second of two doubles to narrow the Curve's deficit to two runs. Akron pulled their starter Jake Paulson with one out in the inning while Luke Eubank (Loss, 0-1) surrendered a single and walk to load the bases for Owen.
The Curve jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first when Jerrick Suiter knocked home the first run of the night on a single before Owen's first of five RBIs. Madris set up Suiter's run-scoring hit with his first double of the night to off the right field wall to put runners at second and third.
Akron stormed back to take a 5-2 lead after three innings when they connected on five extra-base hits, including three homers, against Curve starter Dario Agrazal (Win, 1-0). Tyler Krieger hit a solo homer in the first while in the second Wilson Garcia hit a go-ahead, two-run homer and Mitch Longo extended the lead with a solo blast to right. During the third frame, Daniel Johnson tripled and scored on an RBI single by Andrew Calica, who tripled in the second.
Followed by a timely mound visit by Curve pitching coach Joel Hanrahan, Agrazal fought through the next three innings and retired 10 of his final 11 hitters. He ended the night after six innings of work in his first start of the year and struck out five without issuing a walk.
Pedro Vasquez worked a scoreless seventh in relief before Johnson homered to start the eighth off Tate Scioneaux .
Johnson ended the night a single short of the cycle for the RubberDucks. He tripled in the third, doubled in the fifth and homered in the eighth. His solo shot off Scioneaux tightened the score to 7-6.
Yeudy Garcia (Save, 1) sealed the win in the ninth and retired the first two batters he faced before he worked around a single with a flyout to right by Johnson.
Altoona's pitching staff did not issue a walk through the first 16.2 innings of the season, a streak that ended with two outs in the eighth as Scioneaux walked a pair. Curve starting pitchers have combined for 12 innings without a walk allowed.
The series between the Curve and RubberDucks continues on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 2:05 p.m. at Canal Park. Left-hander Cam Vieaux will make his season debut for Altoona while Akron turns to lefty Sean Brady .
The Curve return to Peoples Natural Gas Field for their home opener and begin a seven-game homestand on Thursday, April 11 against the Akron RubberDucks. Promotional highlights for Opening Week at PNG Field include a special appearance by Pirates broadcaster Steve Blass, Opening Night Fireworks, the first Allegheny Yinzers game and much more. For tickets or more information, visit AltoonaCurve.com, call 877.99.CURVE or stop by the PNG Field box office.
-CURVE-