The opening game matchup of the three game set between the Bowie Baysox and the Altoona Curve, just returning to Blair County Ballpark was supposed to be a pitchers’ duel. The Curve’s Ian Snell, Number six in the Pirates Top 10 prospects as rated by Baseball America and the Baysox’s John Maine, rated the Baltimore Orioles number two prospect were figured to be involved in a low-scoring contest.
Nobody reminded the lower part of either team’s batting order however. Bowie won the opening game of the series 11-5, but Snell (0.90 ERA before the game) was bombed from the mound after giving up five runs and throwing a ton of pitches in four innings, eventually taking the loss. Maine (1.93 ERA) pitched six innings, giving up four runs, but without the hitting support of his teammates, probably wouldn’t have lasted any longer that Snell.
“We are supposed to be a family,” said Snell. “Right now we are not doing some things right. Little mental errors hurt us a lot. When we were 4-0, everybody was hyped. The last six games everybody has been down, I guess. We can’t be like that. We have to go out and play our game, play small ball and get back where we are supposed to be.”
Altoona was led by number five hitter Jeff Keppinger with a single and double and seven hitter Ray Navarrete who ripped a single and triple and was robbed of another base hit when Baysox shortstop Jose Morban leaped high to grab his seventh-inning line drive. Number eight hitter Ronnie Paulino drove in two second-inning runs with a home run to temporarily tie the game at 3-3.
Bowie’s bottom portion of the lineup did even more damage to Altoona’s chances.
Former Pirate prospect Walter Young (.091 batting average coming into the game) walked, singled and doubled from hid fifth spot in the Baysox order, Kris Wilken (.212) singled twice in the sixth spot, number seven hitter Ed Rogers (.265) had three hits, Woody Clifford (.172) went three-for-four with a walk in the eight position and nine hitter Lance Burkhart (.154) had a sac fly and a three-run home run. The lower part of the Bowie order accounted for 11 hits, eight RBIs and eight runs scored.
Bowie started the game off by getting right to business. Morban walked and Val Majewski lined a shot into the left field bleachers for a quick two runs. Tony Mota, son of former Pirate pinch hitter extraordinary walked and Young and Rogers singled to score Mota.
“The ball has been carrying pretty well the seven games we have played here so far,” reported Curve manager Tony Beasley. “We have to keep the ball down and make good pitches and keep ahead in the counts. Tonight our pitchers didn’t do that and we paid. Tonight we were 0 and 2 (No balls and two strikes in the count) a bunch of times. Instead of burying the ball, we left it up and they did a good job of hitting the ball hard.”
Behind by three before they even had a chance to hit, Altoona cut into the deficit a bit in their first at bat.
Nate McLouth walked and scored on a double down the right field line by Gary Thomas.
Paulino’s dinger in the bottom of the second tied the score, but not for long.
Bowie came back with two runs in the fourth off Snell and five more charged to Brady Borner in the fifth. Clifford added a solo home run in the seventh.
The Curve hitters, shackled in the Norwich series at home and in Harrisburg over the weekend, showed signs of coming out of their early slump, but Bowie more than matched the offensive output.
“It was just one of those nights where we came out swinging,” said Navarrete. “A lot of guys in the lineup today put the ball in play and we scored some runs. It was just one of those things where they scored more runs than we did, unfortunately. We’ve all been through this before. That’s the way baseball is, there are ups and downs. It’s just a matter of time until we break out. We are a little frustrated right now, but we will come out tomorrow and try to get things right. The guys who have been here before (played at the Double-A level) should take the time and show the way for the guys who haven’t.”
Keppinger opened the fourth with a double and came home on Navarrete’s single and McLouth beat out an infield hit to start the eighth and advanced to second when the ball was thrown away attempting to get him at first. McLouth then stole third when he alertly saw nobody was paying attention to him at second base. An infield single to deep third by Ray Sadler scored McLouth with the Curve’s final score.
Snell who fanned four and walked two, was followed to the mound by Brady Borner (five runs on five hits, one strikeout, one inning), Blake Stein one run on one hit, one K, one inning), Andrew Lorraine (no runs on no hits, one K, two innings) and Elia Serrano (one inning, no runs, one hit, no K’s , two walks, one inning) for the Curve.
Tuesday the Curve will celebrate the New Orleans tradition of Mardi Gras at Blair County Ballpark for Game Two of the series beginning at 6:35 p.m. (5:30 gates, 5:20 season ticket holders). The first 5,000 fans through the gates will receive free Mardi Gras beads and following the game Sanitary Maintenance will present a spectacular fireworks display.
Game two will start at 6:35 p.m. tonight and will feature Mike Connolly (1-1, 9.00 ERA) on the hill for Altoona and Denny Bautista (1-1, 6.75) for Bowie.
