Sharpe's walk-off lifts Curve to double-header split

CURVE, Pa. -- The Altoona Curve and Binghamton Rumble Ponies each took home a one-run win in a double-header split on Saturday at Peoples Natural Gas Field.

The Curve (41-37, 6-5) won the night cap, 4-3, in nine innings on a walk-off, RBI single from Chris Sharpe and the Rumble Ponies (40-37, 5-8) held on for a 2-1 win in the first game of the day.

The Curve trailed 2-0 entering the bottom of the seventh in game one when Rumble Ponies starter Mickey Jannis (Win, 4-1) allowed the first two batters to reach in the inning. After a 45-minute rain delay, Jerrick Suiter ripped the first pitch he saw from 'Ponies reliever Stephen Villines (Save, 5) to deep left field, but Barrett Barnes made a leaping grab at the wall and robbed Suiter of what would have been a three-run, walk-off homer. Jason Delay followed with a sacrifice fly to right that ended the shutout bid but that was all the Curve got when the next batter, Bralin Jackson , grounded out to end the game.
Jannis held the Curve scoreless through the first six frames and retired 10 batters in a row from the final out of the first until he allowed a leadoff single in the fifth. Jannis gave up one run on three hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Brandon Waddell (Loss, 0-1) started for the Curve and allowed two runs, one earned, on four hits in five innings. He struck out five and walked two.
Binghamton opened the scoring in the top of the first when Barnes ripped an RBI double into the left field corner off Waddell. The run was unearned because of an error on Curve shortstop Robbie Glendinning earlier in the frame. The 'Ponies scored their second run of the game on a Gavin Cecchini RBI single in the fifth.

Joel Cesar worked two scoreless innings in relief of Waddell. He stranded two runners in each inning after he allowed two hits, one walk and hit a batter in the outing.
The Curve finished off an exciting second game of the twin bill with their third walk-off win of the season.
With runners at first and third and no outs, Sharpe chopped a single over the head of Binghamton second baseman Mike Paez off reliever Joseph Shaw (Loss, 0-3). Gift Ngoepe , who started the inning at second base as the placed runner, scored the game-winning run after he advanced to third on Mitchell Tolman 's bunt single to start the inning.
Tweet from @AltoonaCurve: WALK. IT. OFF. @Chris_Sharpe19 FINAL: Yinzers 4, Binghamton 3 pic.twitter.com/lBsrYhVhrO
The Curve entered the bottom of the ninth in a 3-3 tie after reliever Jesus Liranzo (Win, 1-0) kept the 'Ponies off the board in the top of the inning. Paez dropped a bunt to start the frame, but Liranzo fielded it quickly and fired to third to cut down Quinn Brodey, who started the inning as the placed runner at second. Two batters later, Paez made the final out of the inning when he tried to get to third base on an Andrés Giménez infield single.
The Curve and 'Ponies each plated their placed runner in the eighth inning. The 'Ponies took a brief 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth on Brodey's pinch-hit, RBI single before the Curve tied the score in the bottom of the frame on an error.
The Curve scored their first two runs early in the game. Jackson hit an RBI single in the first and Tolman followed with an RBI single in the second. Jackson went 2-for-3 with two singles and Tolman, who reached safely four times, went 3-for-4 with three singles, and RBI, a run and a stolen base. Binghamton got a run in the first on an RBI double from Barnes and another in the fifth when Gimenez hit a two-out, RBI single.
Sean Brady labored through six innings for the Curve and allowed two runs on four hits with five strikeouts and three walks. Yeudy Garcia , who allowed an unearned run in the eighth, tossed two innings in relief of Brady. Joe Zanghi started for the 'Ponies and gave up two runs in 3.2 innings of work.
The Curve and Rumble Ponies wrap up their five-game series on Sunday at 6 p.m. The Curve will turn to right-hander James Marvel (8-5, 3.21) against Binghamton right-hander Austin McGeorge.
Sunday is Faith Night, presented by Element Church with faith-themed, post-game FIREWORKS, presented by Element Church, Altoona Honda & Unlimited Cycle Center. It's also a Richey's Dairy Curve Kids' Club game, presented by Richey's Dairy, and The Jared Box Project Drive will continue. Gates will open to fans at 5 p.m.
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