The Result
Curve - 6 runs to 3

The Curve - Year-to-Date
27 won and 17 lost

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

At the end of the Game
3 hits from 5 at-bats - 3 x singles, 1 x run-batted-in, 1 x run scored, 2 x strike outs

Brett's at-bats

First at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - one down
Javier Guzman lines out to third baseman Tripper Johnson III
Vic Buttler singles on a ground ball to right fielder Tony Alvarez
With Brett Roneberg batting, Vic Buttler steals 2nd base
Brett Roneberg singles on a line drive to pitcher James Johnson. Vic Buttler to 3rd
Simon Pond singles on a ground ball to center fielder Noah Hall. Vic Buttler scores. Brett Roneberg to 3rd
Ray Sadler walks. Simon Pond to 2nd
Craig Stansberry strikes out swinging
Rafael Alvarez walks. Brett Roneberg scores. Simon Pond to 3rd. Ray Sadler to 2nd
Brandon Chaves called out on strikes
Infield single to the pitcher
Second at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Brett Roneberg singles on a ground ball to right fielder Tony Alvarez
Simon Pond walks. Brett Roneberg to 2nd
Ray Sadler pops out to third baseman Tripper Johnson III in foul territory
Craig Stansberry strikes out swinging
Rafael Alvarez grounds out, second baseman Gerardo Alvarez to first baseman Leo Daigle
Single to rightfield
Third at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Bases empty - one down
Vic Buttler grounds out, first baseman Leo Daigle to pitcher James Johnson
Brett Roneberg called out on strikes
Simon Pond singles on a line drive to left fielder Jeff Fiorentino
Ray Sadler singles on a ground ball to shortstop Rayner Bautista. Simon Pond to 2nd
Craig Stansberry homers on a fly ball to center field. Simon Pond scores. Ray Sadler scores
Rafael Alvarez grounds out, shortstop Rayner Bautista to first baseman Leo Daigle
Strike out
Fourth at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Ball - downstairs
Called strike - catching the outside corner
Called strike - on the outside corner
Ball - downstairs
Foul ball
Ball - outside
Swing and a miss - "Roneberg chased one that was up and out of the zone"
Strike out
Fifth at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Runners at second and third base - two down
Ball - fast ball - upstairs
Swing and a miss - breaking ball
Called strike - "that was a 69mph change-up that caught the outside corner"
Ball - "and that just missed ...... the pitcher thought he had Roneberg and was starting to walk off the mound"
Ball - outside
"And that ball is hit into leftfield and one run will score and the other runner will be held at third base as the fielder got across quickly and got the ball back in ...... Brett comes through with an insurance run for the Curve here in the eighth innings"
Single to leftfield - 1 x RBI
Left stranded at the end of the innings

Heard during the game

Email from Brett

Game Reports

The Altoona Curve snapped a three-game skid by defeating the Bowie Baysox 6-3, Monday night at Blair County Ballpark

The Curve broke out with two runs in the first frame and three in the fifth to generate all the offense they would need

Curve starter Josh Shortslef (5-0, 3.48 ERA) pitched seven shutout innings for his team-leading fifth win of the year
The 24-year-old lefty never faced more than four batters in an inning, giving up a mere three hits while striking out six and walking one
It was Shortslefs first win since May 1

Providing Shortslef with an early cushion, the Curve jumped out to a first-inning lead with two runs in their first at-bat
Center fielder Vic Buttler singled and stole second putting him in scoring position for designated hitter Brett Roneberg who wasted no time driving in the Curve’s second run (not right!!! - Brett's hit moved him to third base and Buttler was driven in by Simon Pond - and Brett scored later on a bases looaded walk - refer to the innings report above)

Second baseman Craig Stansberry smashed his second home run in as many days, driving in three runs in the fifth inning
His two-out blast gave the Curve a five run cushion which would prove to be much needed in the later innings

The Baysox tried to rally late in the game, but fell short with a three-run eighth
Bowie sent eight batters to the plate in the frame, forcing relief pitcher Brady Borner to exit after just 1/3 of an inning
Bowie center fielder Noah Hall drove in two runs in the eighth, finishing 2-for-4

Brandon Knight picked up the save for Altoona, pitching the final 1-2/3 innings of the game
It was the right-handers fourth save, the most of any pitcher on the Curve roster

Bowie starter James Johnson (4-2, 4.18) lost his second game of the year, giving up five runs on eight hits, three walks and six strikeouts in six innings pitched

Roneberg went 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI
It was the Australian's 19th RBI in 25 games with Altoona this year

The Curve and Bowie will play the second game of the four game series tomorrow night at Blair County Ballpark
Left-hander Mike Connolly (3-3, 5.01 ERA) will get the start for Altoona against Baysox lefty Richard Stahl (1-5, 3.07) at 6.35pm

Josh Shortslef allowed three hits over seven scoreless innings, lifting Altoona to a 6-3 win over visiting Bowie on Monday
Shortslef (5-0) struck out six and walked one to remain undefeated, lowering his ERA to 3.48

Brady Borner came on in the eighth and allowed three runs on three hits while retiring just one batter

However, Brandon Knight restored order by getting the final five outs to notch his fourth save

Craig Stansberry hit a three-run homer, his sixth of the season, to give the Curve a 5-0 lead in the fifth

Brett Roneberg added an RBI single in the eighth to cap the scoring
Roneberg went 3-for-5 to pace a 12-hit attack for Altoona (27-17), which snapped a three-game losing steak

Noah Hall had two hits and two RBIs for Bowie (22-22), which has lost three in a row

Baysox starter James Johnson surrendered five runs on eight hits over six innings
He struck out six and walked three

Two guys who needed a confidence boost got just that with big performances for the Curve on Monday

Craig Stansberry broke out of a slump with a key three-run homer, and Josh Shortslef bounced back from two rough outings with seven shutout innings

Their efforts helped the Curve snap a three-game losing streak with a 6-3 win over Bowie before 3,575 fans at Blair County Ballpark

“It’s been a rough go lately, personally” said Stansberry, who entered the night hitting .140 (6-for-40) over his last 13 games
Stansberry had a shot with the bases loaded in the first inning and with two runners on in the third but struck out both times
He put all his struggles behind him in the fifth inning, though, and launched a game-changing homer to left-center off Bowie starter James Johnson (4-2) for a 5-0 lead

“For us, for him, at that point of the game, to give us a five-run lead when we were just kind of hanging there and for him to feel like he helped the team win, I’m sure it was huge” Curve manager Tim Leiper said

Stansberry’s recent slump dropped his average to .219, but he has homered in back-to-back games to tie Simon Pond for the team lead with six
Stansberry cracked 18 homers and drove in 67 runs last season

“I always want to knock in runs and do things for the team like that” he said, “and probably lately with the struggling I’ve been probably putting a little too much pressure on myself”

Leiper, who sees Stansberry as an everyday second baseman in the big leagues someday, has confidence his player will get things going
“He’s working hard, he’s going to get it” Leiper said
“He’s got to get through this little spell that he’s going through
He’s just got to clear his head and he’s got to play
He’s a winning-type player
When he plays that game to win and doesn’t worry about any other things, that guy’s a pretty good ballplayer”

The Curve grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first inning, getting an RBI single from Pond and bases-loaded walk by Rafael Alvarez

Shortslef cruised from there, blanking the Baysox on three hits over his seven innings to establish a bit of franchise history
Shortslef is the first Curve pitcher to open a season 5-0, and his superb performance Monday was key for him after struggling his last two times out

“Definitely it was important for me” the left-hander said
“I didn’t want to get too caught up and pressure myself to go out there and throw well”

Shortslef hadn’t pitched for the Curve in 10 days, missing his last start because he worked an inning for the Pirates in the Hall of Fame Game
Before that, he had allowed six runs in three innings against Binghamton and five runs in five innings against Reading, getting spared a loss by comebacks from Altoona’s offense

“Having that time off made me think about a lot of things and get back to where I was at the beginning of the season” Shortslef said

“He was throwing downhill again, he was on top of his pitches, he had depth to his sinker” Leiper said
“When he’s on top of the ball, boy, he’s good”

Shortslef struck out six, walked one and got help from double play groundouts in the first and fourth innings

“I was aggressive with my fastball” Shortslef said
“I started that off well today, and everything else came along with the fastball
I can always say I’m happy to go 5-0, and it’s a big season for me, so that’s what I’m happy about”

Bowie wasted little time getting back in the game once Shortslef departed, scoring three runs in the eighth off Curve reliever Brady Borner
The Baysox loaded the bases with no outs on a walk and two singles before Borner struck out Jeff Fiorentino
Noah Hall then drilled a double to center, scoring Sandy Madera and Rayner Bautista to make it 5-2
Brandon Knight relieved Borner and gave up a sacrifice fly to former Curve standout Tony Alvarez
Knight, who figures to get more chances to close now with Josh Sharpless gone to Triple-A, escaped further trouble in the eighth and worked around two singles for a scoreless ninth to earn his fourth save

“The thing about being a closer that’s nice is it’s almost like being a starter - you have a pretty good idea when you’re going to be in games, so you start getting loosened up and ready to go” Knight said
“So there’s a certain comfort factor being in that role”

Around the Curve
Former big league pitcher Blaine Neal joined the Curve on Monday but has not yet been added to the roster
Neal has gone 5-4 with a 5.08 ERA over 113 relief appearances for the Marlins, Padres, Red Sox and Rockies
The 28-year-old right-hander hasn’t pitched this season and will work out with the Curve until he’s in playing shape
Brett Roneberg went 3-for-5 with an RBI single in the eighth for Altoona

Altoona (Double-A, 27-17) won, 6-3, at home against Bowie (Orioles)

LHP Josh Shortslef improved to 5-0 on the season by throwing seven scoreless innings with six strikeouts
2B Craig Stansberry was 2 for 4 with a three-run homer

DH Brett Roneberg went 3 for 5, scoring and driving in a run

RHP Brandon Knight pitched the last 1-2/3 innings for his fourth save

The Baysox arguably began their toughest road trip of the season today, embarking on an 8-game stretch, consisting of four games at 1st Place Altoona, followed by four at Akron

The Baysox tried to break out of a two game slide, but game one didn't end well, with the Baysox taking the loss 6-3

Baysox starter James Johnson got off to a rough start in the first inning, giving up an RBI single to former 2005 Baysox 1B Simon Pond, that scored Vic Buttler, giving Altoona a 1-0 lead
Johnson then walked OF Ray Sadler to load the bases
Two batters later Johnson walked OF Rafael Alvarez to bring another run across for the Curve, giving the home team a 2-0 advantage

Johnson gave up only one more hit until the fifth inning, when Pond and Sadler both reached base on singles
2B Craig Stansberry then plated Pond and Sadler and himself, with a three-run jack to center, putting the Curve ahead 5-0

The Baysox finally sprung into action in the eighth, but it was too little too late
OF Noah Hall broke out of his hitting slump with a 2-for-4 night with 2 RBI
Hall struck in the eighth with a bases loaded 2 RBI double, putting the Baysox on the board 5-2

The Curve then dipped into their bullpen again, bringing in Brandon Knight to replace Brady Borner
Knight walked Tony Alvarez, then Leo Daigle, who saw his first action in three games, hit a sac fly, bringing Gera Alvarez across for another Baysox run, cutting the lead to 5-3
Knight successfully got out of the inning without to much damage, getting Tripper Johnson to pop out to second to end the inning

The Curve would get another run in the eighth off of Baysox reliever Jason Pearson, when Curve DH Brett Roneberg ripped an RBI single through the gap at short, scoring Brandon Chaves from third, ultimately giving Altoona the 6-3 win

Pearson went just one inning, giving up three hits and one run

James Johnson took the loss for the Baysox, going 6.1 IP giving up eight hits and five runs, dropping his record to 4-2 on the year

Altoona hurler, Josh Shortslef, moved to 5-0 on the year, going seven strong innings, giving up on three hits

The loss drops the Baysox to 21-21 on the season