The Result
Curve - 2 to 1

Sea Dogs - Year-to-Date
40 wins - 47 losses

Brett's Position and the Batting Order
Playing rightfield
Batting #3

At the end of the Game
0 hit from 4 at-bats - 2 x strike outs

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Bases empty - one down
Ball - breaking ball - high
Called strike - breaking ball - "and that looked in the same spot as the first pitch but this time it was called a strike"
Called strike - on the outside corner - "and Brett did not like that call"
Swing&miss - "and Roneberg is right in the face of the home plate umpire claiming that was fouled straight into the ground ...... the catcher had picked the ball up and tagged Brett ...... and Roneberg is still saying something back to the umpire over his shoulder as he walks back to the dugout"
Strike out
Second at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Ball - low
Ball - high
Popped-up on the infield
Out F4
Third at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Ball - in the dirt and wide of the plate
Foul ball - down the leftfield line
Called strike - change-up
Swing&miss - "and that pitch was down and away"
Strike out
Fourth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Led off the innings - and the Sea Dogs are trailing 2 runs to 1 in the bottom of the tenth inning
Called strike
"And that is driven deep into left-centrefield but the fielder made the catch on the warning track"
Out F8

Heard during the game
(1) As Brett came in for his third at-bat, the commentator said "Roneberg has reached base 'by hit or walk' in 23 of his last 24 games"

(2) The top of the tenth inning and the score is 1-1!!!
The Curve had a runner at second base, and the next batter hit a ground ball into rightfield - the runner at second base was going, and Brett charged in on the ball "but he's over-ran it!!!" - the runner was able to score the go-ahead, and winning, run

From what the commentators said, it was a 'do-or-die' -- 'all-or-nothing' play as the third-base coach was waving the runner around third to head for home and to beat the 9-to-2 throw and score (refer to note in the game report below)

Email from Brett
N/A

Game Reports

Altoona gets around Dogs with late rally

For the longest time, it looked as though the Portland Sea Dogs were going to get away with an unlikely win Friday against the Altoona Curve.

The Sea Dogs had only two hits, and their starting pitcher was forced to leave with an injury in the second inning.
Yet Portland led 1-0 through eight innings.

But in the ninth, Ryan Doumit homered to tie the game.

Then Altoona got the winning run in the 10th as the Curve topped Portland 2-1 before 6,567 at Hadlock Field.

Newly signed Mark Deschenes took the loss.

In the 10th, Chris Duffy hit a wall-ball double with one out and scored on Jeff Keppinger's single to right.

Duffy, with blistering speed, made two incredible, diving catches in center field that may have made the difference.

The loss spoiled a commend-able performance by the Sea Dogs bullpen after Kason Gabbard rolled his ankle while fielding a ground ball.

With the Sea Dogs leading 1-0 on Mike Lockwood's first-inning homer, Colin Young pitched 3-1/3 innings of two-hit ball.

Juan Perez allowed one hit in the sixth, and James Johnson was perfect over two innings.

Deschenes entered in the ninth, making his first appearance since he was signed from the independent-league team in Nashua, N.H., where he was 3-0 with a 1.73 ERA.

"Normally, you let a guy ease in and not put him in a situation like that," said Sea Dogs Manager Ron Johnson, who had little choice after using his bullpen for seven innings the night before.

Doumit led off the ninth and worked to a full count.
"He's got a sneaky delivery," Doumit said.
"He gets up on you pretty good.
With two strikes, I was just looking to get the bat on the ball, and I got a pitch I can handle."
Doumit sent an inside fastball well over the right-field fence.

In the 10th, Duffy's double came with one out.
Keppinger then singled to right, and right fielder Brett Roneberg charged the ball but misplayed it.
With Duffy's speed, though, it mattered little whether the ball was fielded cleanly.

Duffy showed off his glove in the first inning.
Sheldon Fulse led off with a blast to right-center, but Duffy ranged into the gap to make a diving catch.
It was a key play, because Lockwood followed with his homer into the right-field bullpen.
In the eighth, Duffy charged in and dived to rob Sean McGowan of a hit.

The Sea Dogs had only three base runners after Lockwood's homer.
Mike O'Keefe doubled in the second, Jeff Bailey walked in the fourth, and John Hattig drew a two-out walk in the 10th.

Altoona (53-34) owns the best record in the Eastern League and leads the Southern Division by six games.

Portland (40-47) is 10 games out in the Northern Division.

NOTES
Knuckleball pitcher Charlie Zink (1-8, 5.79) was demoted to Class A Sarasota.
Ryan Cameron replaces him in the rotation.
Infielder Jimmy Alvarez returned to Triple-A Pawtucket, leaving Portland a player short.
Pitcher Chris Smith was in Worcester, Mass., for a second opinion on his injured shoulder.
The Sea Dogs have another alum in the majors, as reliever Joe Nelson was promoted to the Red Sox from Triple-A Pawtucket.
He replaced another alum, Tim Hamulack, on the 40-man roster.

Curve take down Portland in 10th

Jeff Keppinger singled home Chris Duffy with the winning run in the 10th inning to lift the Altoona Curve to a 2-1 victory over the Portland Sea Dogs on Friday in the Eastern League.

The Curve tied the game when Ryan Doumit led off the ninth inning with a home run off reliever Mark Deschenes (0-1).

Mike Lockwood's first-inning homer accounted for the lone Sea Dogs run.

Duffy led off the 10th with a double off the wall in left, then scored on Keppinger's base hit.

Starter Mike Connolly went seven innings for the Curve before giving way to Brad Borner (5-4), who pitched the eighth and ninth.

Jeff Miller took over in the 10th and picked up his sixth save.

Portland starter Kason Gabbard left the game in the second inning due to injury.

Deschenes, the last of four Sea Dogs relievers, was making his first appearance after being acquired from the Nashua Dodgers of the Atlantic League.

DOGS LACK OFFENSIVE BITE, LOSE IN LATE INNINGS
Altoona Wins 2-1 in 10 Innings With Runs in Final 2 Frames

Ryan Doumit hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning and Jeff Keppinger's RBI single in the tenth frame lifted the Altoona Curve to a 2-1 win in 10 innings over the Portland Sea Dogs on Friday night.

Mike Lockwood homered and Mike O'Keefe doubled - the only hits for the Sea Dogs, who were held without a hit over the final eight innings.

Kason Gabbard left the game after injuring his ankle in the second inning.

Lefties Colin Young, Juan Perez and James Johnson combined for 6.1 scoreless innings until newcomer Marc Deschaines allowed the tying and winning runs in the ninth and tenth innings.

Deschaines was making his Red Sox debut after being signed out of the independent Atlantic League in Wednesday.

Eastern League Game Summary - Altoona at Portland

Jeff Keppinger singled home Chris Duffy in the tenth inning to give the Altoona Curve a 2-1 win over the Portland Sea Dogs in an Eastern League contest.

Ryan Doumit's solo home run in the ninth sent the game to extra's as the Curve improved to 53-34.

Portland fell to 40-47 with their second straight loss.

Doumit's heroics came at the expense of Portland reliever Mark Deschenes.

Duffy reached base in the tenth with a double and scored on the next at-bat by Keppinger.

Josh Bonifay went 2-for-5 with a double in the win.

Brady Borner earned the win in relief of starter Mike Connolly.
Borner tossed two shutout innings and struck out three to improve to 5-4.

Jeff Miller notched his sixth save.

Deschenes (0-1) suffered the loss for the Sea Dogs.
In two innings he allowed two earned runs on three hits and one walk.

Mike Lockwood knocked his third home run of the season in the loss.

GREAT PITCHING EFFORT REWARDED IN CURVE COMEBACK WIN

Jeff Keppinger's RBI single in the top of the 10th inning capped another late-inning rally as the Altoona Curve defeated the Portland Sea Dogs 2-1 in 10 innings in the opener of a four-game series Friday night.

Despite one of the club's best pitching efforts of the season, Altoona entered the ninth inning trailing 1-0 when Ryan Doumit led off the inning with a solo home run off of former Curve pitcher Marc Deschenes, who was making his first appearance for Portland after being signed by the Red Sox and added to the Sea Dogs' roster earlier in the day.

The blast was Doumit's 8th of the season and sent the game to extra innings.

In the top of the 10th against Deschenes (0-1), after Chris Duffy belted a double off of the Hadlock Field "Green Monster", Jeff Keppinger ended a 2-for-33 slump by ripping a go-ahead RBI single into right field that plated Duffy with the winning run.

Jeff Miller closed out an impressive night for the Curve pitching staff by striking out two batters in the bottom of the 10th to collect his sixth save.

Curve starter Mike Connolly, Brady Borner and Miller combined to hold Portland to just two hits, and no hits in the final 8-2/3 innings of the game.
The trio also combined to retire 18 consecutive batters between the fourth and 10th innings.

Borner (5-4), who tossed two perfect innings in the eighth and ninth, earned the win in his return to the Curve after being away from the team for a week to welcome the birth of his son Drew back at his home in Omaha, Nebraska.

Connolly, who was taken off the hook for a tough-luck loss by Doumit in the ninth, earned a no-decision after yielding just two hits and one run - a first-inning solo home run by Mike Lockwood - over seven innings of work.
The left-hander walked one and struck out five and has now struck out 41 batters and walked just six over his last seven starts, during which he's 3-0.

Josh Bonifay (2-for-4) produced the Curve's lone multi-hit game and improved to 15-for-29 (.517) over his last eight games.

With the win, Altoona (53-34) once again equaled the club-record for most games above the .500 mark (19).

The Curve also remains six games ahead of second-place Bowie in the Eastern League's Southern Division.

Portland, which is now winless in five games against Altoona this season, drops to 40-47 on the season.

In game two of the series Saturday evening, the Curve will send right-hander Neal McDade (2-0, 3.20) to the mound against Portland righty Ryan Cameron (1-2, 4.46).

Gametime is set for 6:00.