HARRISBURG, Pa. - The Altoona Curve were upended, 14-7, by the Harrisburg Senators at FNB Field on Saturday.The Curve (69-69, 33-37) held a 5-1 lead through five innings before the Senators (74-63, 32-35) tagged Altoona's bullpen for 13 runs in the sixth and seventh.
HARRISBURG, Pa. - The Altoona Curve were upended, 14-7, by the Harrisburg Senators at FNB Field on Saturday.
The Curve (69-69, 33-37) held a 5-1 lead through five innings before the Senators (74-63, 32-35) tagged Altoona's bullpen for 13 runs in the sixth and seventh.
Harrisburg's offensive explosion was highlighted by an 11-run, seven-hit seventh inning that saw 14 hitters go to the plate. The Senators matched a club record for 11 runs scored in a single inning while it set a Curve record for the most runs allowed in one frame.
The Senators' comeback began in the sixth when Luis Garcia greeted Altoona reliever Yeudy Garcia (Loss, 1-2) with a solo homer. Adrían Sanchez followed with a single and Michael A. Taylor doubled off the center field wall to bring in Sanchez from first to pull within 5-3.
Garcia walked the first two hitters in the seventh and Harrisburg rattled off six straight singles off him and fellow reliever Shea Murray , who made his Double-A debut for the Curve.
Harrisburg's Garcia connected on the game-tying single against Murray before the next batter, Sanchez, delivered the go-ahead, two-run single to center.
Murray picked up the first out of the inning when Dante Bichette Jr., the eighth batter of the inning, hit a sacrifice fly to right but a double and a walk cut short his first outing with Altoona.
Angel German took over for Murray and walked his first hitter before he struck out Rhett Wiseman. Austin Davidson capped off the crooked inning with a grand slam home run to right.
Garcia was charged with five runs and was dealt the loss after he was responsible for the go-ahead run. Murray was hit for six runs while German was accountable for two.
Curve first baseman Jerrick Suiter was called on to pitch after Davidson's big homer and retired all four hitters he faced. It was Suiter's second outing on the mound this month and he capped it off with a strikeout of Bichette to end a 1-2-3 eighth inning.
Domingo Robles made his final start of the year for the Curve and departed in line for the win before the bullpen's rough showing. Robles threw five one-run innings, struck out six and did not walk a batter. He retired his first 11 batters on 40 pitches before Sanchez connected for a double with two outs in the fourth. After a Michael A. Taylor RBI single, Robles picked up his last strikeout to end the threat. Altoona's left-handed starter ended his campaign on a strong note and carried a 1.59 ERA over his last five starts.
Logan Hill helped Altoona jump out to their early lead with a two-out, RBI double in the first inning to score Oneil Cruz , who extended the inning with a walk and moved into scoring position with a steal of second base. Bligh Madris followed Hill with an RBI single to cap a two-run opening inning. In the third, Hill connected on another two-out RBI hit when he plated Bralin Jackson on a single.
Brett Pope answered Harrisburg's first score from the fourth with a solo homer to right in the fifth, his second home run of the year. The Curve picked up another run later in the inning on a bases-loaded catcher's interference call with Madris hitting.
Altoona sent eight men to the plate during the fifth and knocked out Harrisburg starter Tyler Mapes, who walked three and struck out five with five runs allowed over 4.1 innings.
Jordan Mills, Bryan Bonnell (Win, 3-6) and Greg Holland all pitched scoreless relief for the Senators before Aaron Barrett surrendered a pair in the ninth. Pope reached on a walk before Jackson tripled him in and later scored on a single from Cruz.
Sanchez and Taylor each had three hits and multiple RBIs for Harrisburg while Hill and Jackson recorded three-hit games for the Curve.
The last series of the regular season continues Sunday with right-hander Pedro Vasquez (8-4, 2.79) starting for the Curve against right-hander Mario Sanchez (9-5, 3.04) for Harrisburg. Sunday's game will begin at 1 p.m.
Season tickets for the 2020 season are now on sale. 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.
-CURVE-
