Flying Squirrels walk to win over Curve

RICHMOND, Va. - The Altoona Curve issued a season-high nine walks in a 14-6 loss to the Richmond Flying Squirrels on Tuesday night at The Diamond in their most lopsided defeat of the season.

The Curve (17-12) have dropped each of the first two games in the series against the Flying Squirrels (13-17).
Altoona's pitching staff entered play with the fewest walks allowed in the Eastern League this season, but seven batters alone in the fourth and fifth innings on Tuesday.
With Altoona ahead 2-1 in the fourth, Richmond evened the score with a groundout by Hunter Cole and Brandon Bednar followed with a go-ahead double against Tanner Anderson (Loss, 2-2).
After a walk and a strikeout, Anderson was removed and replaced by Buddy Borden, who hit the first batter he faced to load the bases and issued a four-pitch, bases-loaded walk to C.J Hinojosa to extend Richmond's lead to 4-2.
Edwin Espinal hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth to pull the Curve back within a run.
In the bottom of the fifth, Borden retired the first two batters before walking three straight to load the bases. Miguel Rosario replaced him and walked Richmond pitcher Andrew Suárez (Win, 2-3) to plate a run and push the lead to 5-3.
The Curve again pulled within a run in the seventh when Kevin Newman tripled to score Pablo Reyes, but D.J. Snelton was called from the bullpen and struck out the next three batters to strand Newman at third, maintaining a 5-4 Richmond lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, Richmond sent 10 men to the plate against Jared Lakind and scored five runs, the most the Curve have allowed in a single inning this year, to extend the advantage to 11-4.
Altoona scored twice in the eighth. Reyes clubbed an RBI double, his fourth hit of the game, and Newman brought in a run after reaching on an error by third baseman Ali Castillo.
Altoona infielder Chris Diaz pitched in the bottom of the eighth and surrendered a two-out, three-run homer to Slade Heathcott, pushing Richmond's lead to 14-6.
Reyes finished the game 4-for-5 with a double, an RBI and three runs scored.
Kramer extended his on-base streak to 26 games after going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs and was hit by a pitch. Newman had two hits and scored a run. Jackson Williams went 2-for-4 in his first game back on the Altoona roster after returning from Triple-A.
Lakind allowed a season-high six runs, all earned, on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts in 1.0 inning.
The Curve look to avoid the sweep on Wednesday afternoon at The Diamond. Left-hander Brandon Waddell (0-1, 5.14) will be on the mound for the Curve, opposed by Richmond right-hander Sam Coonrod (1-2, 3.24). First pitch is scheduled for 12:05 p.m.
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