SeaWolves Slip in Second Game
Defensive miscues by the Erie SeaWolves opened the door for the hometown Altoona Curve to grab a 7-4 win over the SeaWolves Friday night.
Erie started the game on a home run by Jamie Johnson into the roller coaster in right field, his first for Erie since August 16, 2012, when he homered to begin the game against the Bowie Baysox.
In the fourth inning, the SeaWolves loaded the bases with one out against Altoona starter David Bromberg. Brandon Douglas drew an RBI walk to give Erie a 2-0 lead. With Marcus Lemon at the plate, Carlos Paulino made a snap throw to try and catch Douglas at first but it sailed into right field, allowing Ramon Cabrera and James Robbins to score to make it 4-0.
The SeaWolves gave three runs back to the Curve in the bottom of the fourth, after Oscar Tejeda's two-out single into center field cut the Erie lead in half. Tejeda then scored on a throwing error by Douglas to put the Curve within a run.
Altoona took the lead in the fifth inning as they took advantage of two Erie errors. Drew Maggi drew a leadoff walk and scored the tying run on a throwing error by Lemon. Adalberto Santos scored the go-ahead run on a throwing error charged to Robbins when he pegged Gregory Polanco trying to force the base runner out at second. Polanco later scored on an RBI ground out to third base by Tejeda.
Another run was added in the seventh inning by the Curve when Tejeda knocked in his fourth run of the game with a two-out single to left field to make it 7-4.
The SeaWolves attempted a rally in the ninth inning and got the tying run to the plate in the form of Daniel Fields, who struck out to end the game.
Nate Baker (2-1) was credited with the win for the Curve after pitching two and a third innings of scoreless relief for Altoona. Matt Crouse (5-8) took the loss for Erie after tossing five innings and allowing six runs (two earned) on seven hits. Jhonathan Ramos earned his first save of the season after striking out Fields, the only batter he faced. Johnson, Fields and Cabrera each had two hits to lead the SeaWolves offense.
The series continues Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. with Erie right-hander Kelvin Perez (0-1) scheduled to start against Altoona's Ethan Hollingsworth (6-4). Listen to all the action on Fox Sports Radio AM 1330 The Fan or online at SeaWolves.com.
The SeaWolves return to Erie for a seven-day home stand beginning Monday night at 7:05 p.m. against the Richmond Flying Squirrels. It's a Buck Night presented by Rocket 101 and Budweiser.