Scott Tots Up Runs in Series-Clincher   

CURVE, Pa. – Connor Scott strung together a career day at the plate for the Curve, knocking six runs batted in and fueling a strong offensive day for Altoona in a series-clinching victory over the Hartford Yard Goats, 8-2, in front of 5,323 fans at People Natural Gas Field.

After four quiet innings at the plate against Yard Goats starter LHP Joe Rock, Altoona’s bats came to life to open the fifth against reliever Mitch Kilkenny. Matt Gorski, Andres Alvarez, and Lolo Sanchez led off the frame with three-straight singles to load the bases for Scott. He would quickly make Hartford pay with a hard-hit liner down the first base line, resulting in a bases-clearing triple to make it a 3-1 game. The Curve would add a pair of runs in the inning on two bases-loaded walks drawn by Henry Davis and Mason Martin.

After the five-run fifth inning, Hartford turned to RHP Shelby Lackey in the sixth, who gave up a lead-off double to Alvarez and hit Sanchez with a pitch to put two on with no outs. Scott would once again find himself in a favorable situation and took advantage by hammering a pitch just over the center field wall for his first home run of the season. Scott’s six runs batted in matched Alvarez’s total from Thursday night as the most by a Curve batter this season and are a new career-high for the Curve outfielder. Prior to the series, Altoona had not had a batter record six RBI in a game since 2016 (Erich Weiss, 7.)

Following his career-long 7.0 inning start on Tuesday night, RHP Sean Sullivan once again dazzled for the Curve. He recorded five strikeouts and walked just one batter across 4.0 innings of work. He gave up one run on one hit, an RBI-single in the third inning to Hunter Goodman which gave Hartford an early 1-0 lead.

RHP Bear Bellomy would come in relief for the curve for the fifth inning, allowing no runs and no hits on one walk in his season debut. Omar Cruz would also make his season debut in relief for the Curve in the sixth inning, throwing a scoreless inning on no hits, a walk, and a hit by pitch.

RHP Brad Case and LHP Braeden Ogle would roll the final three innings for the Curve. Case would allow an unearned run in the 7^th inning after a pair of errors in Altoona’s infield set up a sacrifice fly by Goodman. Ogle would take the mound for both the eighth and ninth innings, allowing one hit, no runs and striking out two batters to close out the game.

The Curve won its fourth game of the week, clinching a series victory over the Yard Goats. Altoona’s record sits at 22-21, which puts the team in sole possession of second place and one game back in the Southwest Division with four weeks to play in the first half of the season.

Altoona continues its two-week homestand with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets, coming to town on Tuesday evening at 6:00 p.m. Altoona will send RHP Aaron Shortridge to the mound for Altoona to face Binghamton’s RHP Junior Santos.

The Curve are proud to celebrate 25 years of memories in Curve, PA throughout the 2023 season. 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.