Not only did the Senators prevent Top-10 prospect Tyler Glasnow from earning a win at Metro Bank Park last night, they squeezed the most of their seven hits, three walks and an errant throw. That concoction mustered just enough offense to support fine pitching against a powerful lineup to sweep 2nd place Altoona.
As Glasnow tossed 70 pitches and then handed the ball to Tom Prince, he received much more than the polite applause visiting performances usually receive on City Island. In fact, many fans in Section 106 stood and cheered their prized Pirates pitching prospect, showing their appreciation for his 2-hit, 7-K performance.
About 40 of those baseball fans are members of the Altoona Curve Booster Club. They chose to visit Metro Bank Park on a beautiful late June evening to enjoy cheering their Curve and the Pirates #1 prospect on the road.
Between innings, I welcomed the group and spoke briefly with Carol Henrie. She and her husband visit Metro Bank Park annually to support the Curve. This time, they were able to hitch a ride with the booster club, which was formed in 2010.
In our brief conversation, she mentioned multiple times how much they enjoy our renovated ballpark. I countered that I believe both Altoona and Harrisburg are fortunate in that regard.
Although the Altoona fans didn't receive the results they wanted, they seemed to enjoy their stay during an entertaining game. They even cheered our now-famous (and very talented) all-male dance revue!
While Game One was exciting, Matt Skole made sure that Game Two had a better result for Senators fans. Leading off the bottom of the 11th, Matt launched a drive the opposite way. My only hesitation was whether the ball would reach the corner of Ollie's Cheap Seats or bang off the wall beside them at the 335 mark.
Matt took a walk-off stroll around the bases, Paul Demny racked up the Senators' first W after 2 IP, and the home crowd enjoyed the game-ending fireworks as much as the post-game version. Even the weather cooperated and remained a good ten degrees warmer than Thursday night.
For the second straight game, the one-run difference featured our first MLB rehab participant, Pirates catcher Chris Stewart. Although Chris went 0-2 in the opener, he notched a pair of singles (2-4) in Game Two as he nurses a right hamstring injury.
Newcomer Joe Ross pitched the first 4 innings. Derek Self and Robert Benincasa followed with 5 scoreless frames to set up Demny and Skole's dramatic finish.
Oh, and the dancers returned, receiving a healthy round of applause following their between-inning performance. This is a must-see.
Paolo Espino, who held Eastern League hitters to a .229 average through 29 appearances (16 starts) with the Senators last year, takes the hill tonight. His mound opponent will be the Pirates' #1 prospect (according to MLB and Baseball America), Tyler Glasnow. This will be his first game at the AA level.
Between innings, I welcomed the group and spoke briefly with Carol Henrie. She and her husband visit Metro Bank Park annually to support the Curve. This time, they were able to hitch a ride with the booster club, which was formed in 2010.
