FROM THE ALTOONA CURVE:
Omar Alfonzo picked up his team-leading 13th run batted in, but Altoona fell 7-2 to Richmond on Saturday night at Peoples Natural Gas Field. Altoona trails the series 3-2 with the Flying Squirrels and will aim for a series split with a win on Sunday.
The 1-2 punch atop the Curve lineup produced in an otherwise slow offensive outing for Altoona. Jesus Castillo continued his hot stretch since mid-April by extending his hitting streak to nine games. Castillo reached twice and scored one of Altoona’s two runs. Keiner Delgado walked twice and stretched his on-base streak to eight games.
Righty Khristian Curtis made the start and fanned six hitters, but a 3-run blast in the second inning by Richmond’s Aeverson Arteage derailed his outing. All three runs were unearned as a one-out error by Castillo allowed Richmond an opportunity for a big inning. Curtis allowed four hits and two walks in his 3.2 innings and suffered the loss.
Altoona broke through in the fourth and fifth innings for their lone runs of the contest. Alfonzo followed Friday’s clutch hit with another RBI on a single to right to score Castillo to make it 3-1 Richmond. Shawn Ross knocked an RBI double in the fifth to score Will Taylor though the Curve left the bases loaded in the inning as Richmond lefty Cesar Perdomo and reliever Logan Martin wiggled out of trouble. Martin earned the with 4.1 scoreless innings of relief behind Perdomo.
Richmond snapped Landon Tomkins’ 9.2 scoreless innings streak as they plated two runs in his two innings of work in the seventh and eighth innings, but he did strike out three. Jaden Woods struck out three in a scoreless ninth inning, he’s struck out 22 batters in 13.1 innings this season.
The Curve will look for a series split in the final game of the series against Richmond at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The Curve will send LHP Connor Wietgrefe onto the hill vs. Richmond’s LHP Greg Farone
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