Lambert, Backed by Three Home Runs, Leads Yard Goats to 6-1 Victory in Altoona

June 9, 2018
Final: Hartford Yard Goats 6, Altoona Curve 1                                 
WP: Peter Lambert (5-2)
LP: Pedro Vasquez (0-4)
SV: Logan Cozart (2)
T: 2:26
ATT: 5,032

Lambert, Backed by Three Home Runs, Leads Yard Goats to 6-1 Victory in Altoona
Altoona, PA- Erie, PA- The Hartford Yard Goats ended a four-game losing streak and defeated the Altoona Curve by the score of 6-1 on Saturday night at People's Natural Gas Field in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Peter Lambert spun 8.2 innings of one run ball and defeated the Curve for the second time in two starts while earning his team-leading fifth win. He was one out shy from tossing consecutive 9-inning complete games and finished with 110 pitches. Lambert was supported by three Hartford home runs, including back-to-back homers by Forrest Wall and Brendan Rodgers. Dom Nuñez also homered for the Yard Goats who will try for the series win tomorrow afternoon. Former New England Patriots Running Back and two-time Super Bowl Champion Tyler Gaffney, now a professional baseball player in the Pirates system, struck out as a pinch hitter for the Curve.   
The Curve opened the scoring with a run in the first inning. After Peter Lambert struck out the first two batters of the game, Jason Martin doubled. Will Craig followed with a single to centerfield, scoring Martin and giving the Curve a 1-0 lead.
The Yard Goats tied the game in the second inning as Dom Nunez belted a solo home run off Altoona starter Pedro Vasquez. Nunez hit a one-out line drive dinger over the right field fence for his third homer of the season tying the game at 1-1.       
The Yard Goats broke the tie and scored three times in the fifth inning to take a 4-1 lead. Wes Rogers began the rally with a leadoff single. Then with two outs, Forrest Wall cranked a two-run homer over the right field fence to break the 1-1 tie and put Hartford in front 3-1. The very next batter, Brendan Rodgers followed with a solo homer to make it a 4-1 game. Rodgers long homer to left was his 13^th of the season and second in two days. It was the first time that the Yard Goats hit back-to-back home runs since April 24^th against Portland. Hartford added a run in the sixth inning on Wes Rogers RBI single and another marker in the ninth as Forrest Wall scored on an infield grounder.       
The Yard Goats wrap up the three-game weekend series against the Altoona Curve on Sunday afternoon (2:00 PM) at People's Natural Gas Field in Altoona, Pennsylvania. LHP Jack Wynkoop will start for the Yard Goats while RHP Eduardo Vera will pitch for Altoona. The game will be broadcast on AM 1410 WPOP and streamed on newsradio.1410.com and MiLB.com. The Yard Goats will return to Dunkin' Donuts Park for their next homestand next Tuesday vs Erie at 7:05 PM.