Altoona rally sinks 'Ducks 3-2

Curve 3 RubberDucks 2

WP: Montana DuRapau (1-0) LP: Perci Garner (4-1) SV: None

 

Summary

Akron (33-13) led 2-0 behind seven scoreless innings by starter Shawn Morimando, but the bullpen allowed three runs on four hits and a walk in the bottom of the ninth to give the Altoona Curve a 3-2 walk-off win on Thursday afternoon at Peoples Natural Gas Field.

Turning Point

With Akron leading 2-0 with one out in the bottom of the ninth, Altoona rallied with a single off reliever Cole Sulser before he was replaced by Perci Garner. Garner allowed a single to catcher Jin-De Jhang, got Eric Wood to fly out, and gave up a single to Austin Meadows to load the bases with two outs. Barrett Barnes earned a bases-loaded walk to cut the score to 2-1, and pinch-hitter Erich Weiss hit a two-run single over the head of left fielder Bryson Myles to earn a 3-2 Curve win.

Winging It

Shawn Morimando continued his fantastic season with the RubberDucks by throwing seven scoreless innings, surrendering only three hits while fanning eight and not walking a batter. His ERA now stands at an Eastern League-leading 1.65. He was looking to improve to 9-0, but after reliever Cole Sulser threw a scoreless eighth inning, the Curve broke through with three runs in the ninth. Sulser got an out and gave up a hit before Perci Garner allowed two runs on three hits and a walk to pick up his first loss of the season (4-1).

Duck Tales

The RubberDucks were held to three hits and six walks by Curve pitching. Jeremy Lucas had the only extra-base hit, his first triple of the season in the second inning, and the team added singles by Joe Sever and Taylor Murphy in the seventh inning. Sever came in to score on Ivan Castillo's sacrifice fly that frame to extend Akron's lead at the time to 2-0. The first Akron run came in the sixth inning when leadoff batter Todd Hankins walked, went to second when Bradley Zimmer walked, advanced to third on a passed ball, and scored on a Bryson Myles' groundout to shortstop.

Notebook

The RubberDucks and Curve split the four-game set, but Akron leads the season series 7-3. Altoona visits Canal Park next on May 31-June 2 for a three-game series…Akron has won 15 of their last 19…The RubberDucks return to Canal Park with a franchise-record 15-game home winning streak active and with five consecutive sweeps of opponents…The 'Ducks own the best record among all teams in the MLB and MiLB (33-13)…Time of game: 2:45…Attendance: 5,558.

On Deck

The RubberDucks welcome the Harrisburg Senators to Canal Park for the first time in 2016 for a four-game series starting Friday at 6:35 p.m. RHP Michael Peoples is the scheduled starter for Akron, and RHP Jaron Long (2-1, 1.55) is expected to get the ball for the Sentaors. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1350 AM, the WARF iHeart channel, and the TuneIn Radio App, as well as MiLB.TV.

Tomorrow's Promotion: $1,000 Cash Dash & David Bowie fireworks. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.