Patriots Rally for Three Ninth Inning Runs in Comeback Curve Defeat

CURVE, PA – For the second night in a row, Altoona blew a ninth inning lead as the Patriots scored three times in the ninth to defeat the Curve, 8-7, on Saturday night at Peoples Natural Gas Field.

Tahnaj Thomas entered to pitch the ninth with Altoona leading it 6-5. He allowed a lead-off home run to Max Burt to tie the game at six. Later in the frame, an RBI double from Derek Dietrich and sacrifice fly from Michael Beltre gave Somerset the two-run cushion.

Altoona threatened in the bottom of the ninth. With one out and Nick Gonzales on first base, Matt Fraizer lined a would-be game-tying home run foul down the right field line before striking out for the second out of the inning. Then, Liover Peguero hit a 430 ft. foul ball down the left field line before smacking an RBI single to right, scoring Gonzales. Brendt CItta flew out to end the game. Nick Ernst, who got the final two outs of the ninth, earned his second save of the season.

The Curve scored a run in the first inning on a Peguero RBI-triple off starter Luis Medina. Aaron Shackelford hit his fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot in the second inning, to tie the game 3-3. Altoona struck for three more runs in the fourth. Tucupita Marcano hit an RBI-triple and scored on a Gonzales sacrifice fly. Fraizer then singled, stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error and took home on a wild pitch.

Mike Burrows threw four innings for Altoona, allowing a season-high four runs on six hits. He gave up three runs on two doubles and a home run from Rodolfo Duran in the second inning. JC Flowers allowed a solo home run to Dietrich in the seventh, his only run allowed in three relief innings. Dietrich finished 3-for-5 with three RBI. Bear Bellomy tossed a scoreless eighth inning with two strikeouts.

Marcano finished the game 3-for-5 with a single, double, and triple, his first three-hit game of the season. Peguero and Fraizer each finished with two hits. The loss marked the ninth time Altoona has lost despite holding a lead after the fifth inning this season. It was the first loss for Altoona when leading after the eighth.

Josh Maciejewski earned the win for Somerset, tossing 4.1 innings without allowing a run on three hits with six strikeouts.

The Curve finish their six-game series with the Somerset Patriots, Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. RHP Luis Ortiz will take the ball for Altoona, while LHP Ken Waldichuk will be on the mound for Somerset.

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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