“That’s how we have played all year. When it seems we have our backs against the wall, that’s when we come up with something big when you least expect it.” said Altoona Curve manager Tony Beasley. Altoona won convincingly for the second straight night after getting no-hit and barely raising a pulse in the first two games of the four-game set with Bowie at Blair County Ballpark.
Spot starter Neal McDade exceeded expectations, limiting Bowie to no runs and just one hit over the first six innings and Brad Eldred got the Curve off to another quick start in a 12-0 demolition of the Baysox. McDade struck out one and walked two in improving his record to 6-1 and lowered his ERA to 3.14. The Curve banged out a season-high 17 hits before a crowd of 8,979, fourth-largest crowd in franchise history.
“I’m elated because no body knows the situation we’re in tonight,” explained Beasley. “We are so short in the bullpen. (Elio) Serrano is hurt and (Mike) Crudale is going up to Triple-A tomorrow, so we couldn’t use him tonight. We had only McDade, Harts and Jeff Miller and we didn’t really want to have to use Miller for two. McDade gave us the great start. He pitched six innings, which was more than what we expected. For Harts to do what he did tonight is also unbelievable. A young kid comes up who has a problem throwing strikes, and he’s been throwing strikes. Andy (Curve pitching coach Jeff Andrews) has done an outstanding job with him. You just couldn’t ask for more than we got tonight.”
In the process, Eldred smashed another three-run homer, his 11th in Double-A since moving up from Lynchburg and 32nd overall this season, in addition to smashing a first-inning double that scored three teammates to get a big early lift for McDade.
Jeremy Harts completed the shutout, with three scoreless innings in relief, yielding two hits, striking out two and walking one to earn his first Double-A save.
After McDade took care of the first three Bowie hitters in the first inning, Nate McLouth rapped a double to start the Altoona- half of the frame. Mike Moriarty was hit by a pitch and Tom Evans walked to load the bases. Eldred ripped a ball inside the third-base line to score all three runners.
“It was definitely a good thing to jump out to a big lead like that,” said Eldred, who now has 115 RBI in 115 games between Lynchburg and Altoona. “Obviously, it carried over to the next inning also. All the pitchers did an awesome job. Tonight we were able to get a lot of key hits. We got guys on base and were able to get hits with guys on the bases.”
In the second, the Curve struck for three more tallies. Shaun Skrehot led off the inning with his first Curve home run of the season, after hitting five in 39 games at Nashville.
McLouth walked with one out, and scored when Moriarty doubled over the Baysox centerfielder’s head. Moriarty’s last four hits have all been doubles. Evans singled Moriarty to third and Jorge Cortes walked with two outs to load the sacks again. Moriarty scored the final run of the inning on a wild pitch.
Gary Cates singled with two out in the top of the third for the only hit McDade allowed, but the Curve right-hander quickly got the final out on a groundball to Eldred at first.
“I threw about 90 percent fastballs,” said McDade. “I let the defense do the work and they did it. Tonight was probably the best defensive effort behind me in a long time. The big lead was real nice. It was a lot easier going out there with a lead, instead of being in a tight game.”
The Curve added four runs in the fifth to raise the lead to 10-0 and put the final result in cruise control.
Skrehot and designated hitter Donaldo Mendez opened the inning with back-to-back singles, before McLouth and Moriarty hit consecutive fly outs. Evans singled home Skrehot, before Eldred said bye-bye to a pitch that cleared the right-center field wall to score Mendez and Evans in front of him.
Eldred belted a three-run dinger in the first inning of Saturday night’s 8-2 Curve victory to give Zach Duke (3-1) the win in a five and 1/3-inning performance in which Duke fanned four, walked none yielding five hits and two runs.
Altoona put the final two scores on the board in the bottom of the eighth when Ray Sadler singled and Skrehot walked with one out. McLouth singled to center to drive home Sadler and Moriarty singled to left to get Skrehot home.
Harts allowed a leadoff single to Kris Wilken to begin the Bowie eighth, then worked a foul popup and double play. In the top of the ninth, Keith Reed’s two-out double kept the game going for one more batter, before Harts got a flyout for the final out of the ballgame.
Altoona now travels to Erie for a four-game series that could put the Curve, at present five and 1/2 games in front of the Seawolves, in a position to cruise for the final 11 games of the season following the Erie series, should they win three or sweep. Or it could force a battle-royal for the remainder of the year if Erie gets the upper hand in the four-game set.
