CURVE OUTSLUG PATRIOTS IN SERIES OPENER

From the Altoona Curve:

Aye Bae-Bae! Ji-Hwan’s Homer Leads Comeback Victory

Altoona rallied from a 6-1 deficit after six innings on Tuesday night

CURVE, PA – Ji-Hwan Bae smashed his second career homer to break a 6-6 tie in the eighth inning as the Curve rallied for a 9-7 win on Tuesday night at TD Bank Ballpark over the Somerset Patriots.

Trailing 6-1 after six innings, the Curve worked the bases loaded with two outs in the seventh and Canaan Smith-Njigba rocked a double off the wall in left-center to make it a 6-4 game. Working against reliever Zach Greene in the eighth, the Curve quickly put baserunners on with a double from Mason Martin, a walk from Daniel Amaral and a single from Cal Mitchell to load the bases. After Jonah Davis  struck out for the first out of the inning, Josh Bissonette lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to make it a 6-5 game. Arden Pabst then stepped to the plate with a flair single to left-center that tied the game.

Bae then stepped to the plate and smashed a three-run blast to right-center on a 1-2 pitch to take a 9-6 lead. It was Bae’s second career homer after he hit a solo shot in the FCL while on rehab assignment earlier this season.

Nathan Kirby and Hunter Stratton finished off the ballgame on the mound covering the eighth and ninth. Stratton worked around a two-out double to record his seventh save of the season, striking out a pair.

John O’Reilly earned the victory with two innings of relief. The Northvale, NJ native kept the game at 6-4 by getting Somerset RF Michael Beltre to bounce back to him to end the inning.

Pabst finished the game 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two runs batted in. Pabst smoked his fourth homer of the season in the third inning. Smith-Njigba and Bae each drove in three while Cal Mitchell recorded his 18^th multi-hit game of the season, tying him with Mason Martin and Rodolfo Castro for the team lead. Castro went 0-for-3 with two walks in the game.

The Curve and Patriots continue their series on Wednesday night at 7:05 p.m. LHP Trey McGough (1-2, 3.38) will start for Altoona, he’ll be opposed by LHP JP Sears (3-0, 2.47)