ALTOONA- The Altoona Curve (19-11) snapped a season high three-game losing skid on Sunday evening, with a 3-2 victory over the Reading Phillies (13-15). Jason Roach (3-2) got the win for the Curve, allowing only one run on four hits over his six innings of work. Brett Roneberg continued his hot hitting, going 2-for-3 with an RBI to push his hitting streak to 12-games.
For the third time in the three-game series, it was the team that scored first that ended up on the losing end. On Friday and Saturday it was the Phillies who overcame the early deficit, and on Sunday it was the Curve’s turn to come back. Reading started the scoring with a John Castellano solo-home run in the top of the first, but the lead was short lived as the Curve bounced back in the bottom of the frame. Craig Stansberry walked to start the rally, and after a balk and a passed ball moved him to third, he came around to score on a Brett Roneberg ground out, to knot the score at 1-1.
After matching zeros over the next three innings, the Curve jumped in front for good in the fifth. Once again it was Stansberry and Roneberg at the heart of the rally with a walk and single to start the frame, and both runners came around to score on a booming double off the bat of Simon Pond that gave Altoona the 3-1 advantage.
The Reading Phillies tried to mount a comeback, scoring once in the eighth, but reliever Josh Sharpless got the final four outs to close out the Curve’s 3-2 victory and pick up his seventh save of the 2006 season.
