The Result
Curve - 4 runs to 3

The Curve - Year-to-Date
25 won and 13 lost

Brett's Position and the Batting Order
Playing - Leftfield
Batting - #3

At the end of the Game
2 hits from 4 at-bats - home run, single, 2 x runs-batted-in, 1 x run scored

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Bases empty - two down
Called strike
"That ball is driven hard into leftfield for a base hit"
Single to leftfield
Left stranded at the end of the innings
Second at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher - Allen Davis
Runner at third base - one down
Called strike
"That is belted into rightfield"
"It is really travelling"
"The fielder is going back, but he can give it up ...... because that ball is gone"
"A two-run shot to Brett, and that is his fifth long-ball of the season"
"He is really swinging the bat well"
HOME RUN - 2 x RBI - 1 x R (click here for all the details)
Third at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - one down
Ball - low and away
Called strike
Ball
"And that ball is lifted into centrefield and the fielder makes the catch
Fly out to centrefield - F8
Fourth at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - two down
"Brett drives that hard and deep into rightfield ...... and it's hit a really long way!!! ...... but the fielder makes the catch standing right in front of the wall ...... and Roneberg almost had his second long-ball of the game"
Fly out to rightfield - F9

Heard during the game

(#01) - After Brett's hit in his first at-bat, the commentator said - "Brett was anxious for a hit and a good start to today's game after going 0-for-4 in Saturday's game and having an off-day on Sunday ...... Brett has continued his good batting and has now hit safely in seventeen games of the nineteen he has played since joining up with the Curve"

(#02) - During the top of the second innings, the Phillies had a runner at first base with none down - the next batter drove the ball in the air to leftfield - the commentator said - "Roneberg is going back for that and he is on the track ...... and he makes the catch!!! ...... no he didn't, it dropped out of his glove!!!" - another commentator then said - "Brett did a great job in tracking that ball ...... just as he made the catch he crashed into the wall and that knocked the ball out of his glove" - the batter was given a double and no error was recorded
This play put runners on second and third base with none down - the next Phillies batter struck out - then there was a fly ball to centrefield - the runner at third took off, thinking the ball had bounced in front of the Curve centrefielder - the play was then made at third base for 'leaving early', so it turned into an inning ending double play - however, two of the three commentators said they thought that the ball had bounced and was not caught, and that the Phillies got a bad break from the umpire on that play!!! - lots of arguing by the Phillies Coach, but the call stood!!!
Later in the game, the commentator mentioned that the replay on the video board clearly showed that the ball bounced in front of Buttler, the Curve centrefielder!!!

(#03) - During Brett's third at-bat, the commentator said - "Roneberg has been a very powerful addition to the Curve this year"

Email from Brett

Game Reports

The Altoona Curve increased their current win streak to six games by defeating the Reading Phillies 4-3 at Blair County Ballpark

Brett Roneberg smashed a two-run home run in the third inning, pacing the Curve offense
Roneberg finished 2-for-4 with two RBI’s and a run scored

The Curve bullpen, the main story as of late, increased its streak of consecutive scoreless innings pitched to 22-1/3

Brady Borner recorded the win after ending a Reading threat in the fifth inning
The southpaw entered with the bases loaded and two outs, but promptly retired Reading right fielder J.J. Johnson

Finding themselves in an early 1-0 deficit, the Curve wasted no time and scored in both the second and third innings

Brandon Chaves hit his third homerun of the year with a solo shot in the bottom of the second to tie the count at 1-1
Chaves finished 1-for-3 with a run scored

Starter Matt Peterson (3-2, 4.06) lasted only 4-2/3 innings, one out shy of his fourth win of the season
The right hander seemed to calm down after giving up a first inning run but allowed Reading to tie the game in the fifth after walking four batters

Peterson handed the game over to Borner with two outs in the fifth and bases loaded, where Borner quickly recorded the final out

First baseman Simon Pond broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the frame driving in Vic Buttler from first base with a double down the left field line
Pond’s RBI was his team-leading 29th this season

Starter Allen Davis (1-2, 3.91) pitched seven full innings for the Phillies, but could not get the offensive help needed, and lost his second game of the year
He allowed four runs off of ten Curve hits

Chris Hernandez and Brandon Knight also pitched in relief tonight for Altoona
Hernandez pitched two innings, allowing only two hits and striking out two
Knight struck out two of the four batters he faced in the ninth to record his third save of the season

Reading first baseman, Jim Rushford, provided most of the offense for the Phillies Monday night, driving in two of their three runs, in a 3-for-5 effort

The Curve won tonight without many of their familiar faces
Pitchers Josh Sharpless and Josh Shortslef along with infielder Craig Stansberry and outfielder Adam Boeve were all in Cooperstown, NY on Monday for the annual Major League Baseball Hall of Fame Game
The Pirates called up several of their top Minor League prospects for the exhibition game against the Cincinnati Reds

The Curve and the Phillies will wake up early tomorrow to play game two of the three game series in the first School Kids Day at Blair County Ballpark
The game, slated for 10.35am will feature Curve starter Shane Youman (0-0, 1.44) against Reading hurler Scott Mathieson (2-2, 3.97)

Simon Pond's bloop double and strong pitching by the bullpen led the Altoona Curve to a 4-3 win over the Reading Phillies Monday night at Blair County Ballpark
Pond's two-out bloop double to left in the fifth inning scored Vic Buttler from first to make it 4-3

The Curve (25-13) continued to get great pitching by the relief corps as three hurlers combined to blank the Phillies (14-21) over the last 4-1/3 innings
Altoona's bullpen has not allowed a run in 22-1/3 straight innings

Altoona has won six straight games

The Phillies have dropped seven of their last eight games and now have lost their last eight one-run games

Reading also stranded a season-high 11 baserunners, six in scoring position

Reading took a 1-0 lead in the first on a two-out RBI single by Joey Hammond

Altoona tied the game in the second on a solo home run by Brandon Chaves, his third

Brett Roneberg blasted a two-run homer in the third to put the Curve up 3-1

The Phillies tied it in the fifth on a two-out, two-run double by Jim Rushford after Curve starter Matt Peterson had walked the bases loaded

Brady Borner (1-0) pitched 1-1/3 innings for the win

Reading starter Allen Davis (1-2) took the loss

Brandon Knight pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save

Tim Moss and Tim Gradoville each had two hits for the Phillies

Brett Roneberg and Brandon Chaves each homered to power Altoona to victory over Reading, 4-3, on Monday at Blair County Ballpark

Chaves got the Curve (25-13) on the board in the second inning with a one-out solo homer to tie the game, 1-1
The very next inning, Roneberg delivered a two-run shot to right field after Javier Guzman led off with a double

Simon Pond plated Vic Butler with the eventual winning run in the fifth

Roneberg and Guzman each went 2-for-4, and Roneberg has homered in three of his last five games

Buttler, this week's Eastern League Offensive Player of the Week, doubled in four trips to the plate

Curve starter Matt Peterson allowed three runs on six hits while striking out three and walking four in 4-2/3 innings

Brady Borner (1-0) picked up the win for Altoona
The 27-year-old southpaw pitched 1-1/3 scoreless innings of relief and allowed a hit and a walk

Brandon Knight notched his third save with a scoreless ninth, striking out two

The Phillies (14-21) grabbed the lead in the first on an RBI single by Joey Hammond

Reading later tied it, 3-3 in the fifth, when Jim Rushford smacked a double to right that scored Michael Bourn and Carlos Leon

Rushford finished the game 3-for-5 with two RBIs

Allen Davis (1-2) took the loss, allowing four runs on 10 hits while striking out one in seven innings

It doesn’t seem to matter who’s playing or even who’s not playing for the Curve, the team just can’t seem to do much wrong these days

“I really feel confident that any nine guys we put out there at any given time we’re going to win the game” manager Tim Leiper said
Leiper’s theory rang true Monday night
Despite missing four players who joined the Pirates for the Hall of Fame Game, the Curve still put together a strong effort in a 4-3 win over Reading before 3,178 fans at Blair County Ballpark

Altoona’s sixth straight victory is a season high, and the club is now 12 games over .500 for the first time this year

“That really shows the depth that we have here on this Curve ballclub” reliever Chris Hernandez said of the win
“We’ve got guys that can play, obviously, and for us to win four people short-handed, it’s a great achievement for this ballclub"

Starting second baseman Craig Stansberry and right fielder Adam Boeve were with the Bucs in Cooperstown, N.Y., on Monday, along with reliever Josh Sharpless and lefty starter Josh Shortslef

The Curve will need the foursome as the season goes on, but they didn’t need them Monday as they won while dressing only 19 players

Brett Roneberg ripped a two-run homer, Brandon Chaves a solo shot and the bullpen held on after Altoona took a one-run lead in the fifth
The relievers tossed 4-1/3 scoreless innings, running the bullpen’s consecutive scoreless streak to 22-1/3 frames
“The pitchers knew it going in, they knew they had to pitch a good game” Leiper said

Starter Matt Peterson carried a 3-1 lead into the fifth inning before running into control problems
He walked four in the fifth, with two scoring on Jim Rushford’s double that tied things at 3-3

The Curve offense bounced right back, though, scoring the decisive run in its next at-bat
Vic Buttler reached on a fielder’s choice and scored on Simon Pond’s two-out double for a 4-3 lead

“We’re doing lots of little things right right now, and that’s why we’ve got a nice streak going” Leiper said

Brady Borner (1-0) started the bullpen’s strong night and picked up the win
He came on for Peterson with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth and escaped the jam with the game still tied by getting J.J. Johnson to line out to short
Borner worked around a single and a walk to throw a scoreless sixth

Hernandez then fired two shutout innings, and Brandon Knight closed it out in the ninth to earn his third save

“The bullpen did an awesome job tonight” Roneberg said
“It was unbelievable
They held that lead, and what can I say about them, they do it every single day”

Reading got a run off Peterson in the first, and the Curve appeared to catch a break in the second as the R-Phils missed a chance to make it 2-0
Michael Bourn hit a sinking liner to center with a runner at third, and the ball looked to have hit the ground before getting trapped by Buttler
The umpires ruled it a catch, and to make matters worse for the R-Phils, Tim Moss was called out on an appeal for leaving third base too soon

Chaves smacked his third homer of the season in the second inning to pull Altoona even

Roneberg then launched his fifth homer with one out in the third for a 3-1 Curve lead against Reading starter Allen Davis (1-2)

Roneberg just missed another homer in the seventh as his long flyball to right was caught on the warning track

The outfielder hit 10 homers in 125 games for Altoona in 2003 and is already halfway to that total after just 19 games this season
“Maybe I’m a bit better hitter, I guess” Roneberg said with a laugh
“Maybe I wasn’t very good back then
But the ball does seem to fly a little bit better
Ever since they built those bleachers out in left field, it seems to carry everywhere now
It’s a good thing for hitters for sure”