The Result
Senators - 8 runs to 7

The Curve - Year-to-Date
62 won and 45 lost

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

At the end of the Game
2 hits from 3 at-bats - 2 x singles, 2 x runs-batted-in, 2 x runs scored, 2 x walks

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - one down
Ball - low - "and the runner goes!!! ...... and he is into second base safely!!! ...... and that now gives Brett an RBI opportunity"
Ball - tailing fast ball - outside
Ball - outside
Ball - outside - "and Roneberg has picked a four pitch walk"
Walk
Left stranded at the end of the innings
Second at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at second base - two down
Called strike - "catching the outside corner"
"That ball is lined into rightfield for a base hit!!! ...... and the runner is rounding third base and heading for home!!! ...... and here comes the throw!!! ...... and it hits the sliding runner and bounces away!!! ...... and Brett was going for second base on the throw, and he now advances to third base on the error ...... and the Curve have now tied the game at '2-2' here in the top of the third innings"
Single to rightfield - 1 x RBI
Scored on a hit
Third at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Ball
Called strike
Called strike - "and that pitch catches the outside corner"
Foul ball - near the first base dugout
Ball - outside
"There's a liner into rightfield ...... and Brett continues to swing a hot bat!!! ...... and he now has two hits in this ballgame!!!"
Single to rightfield
Advanced to second base on a hit
Scored on an error - "that ball was hit straight at the Senators' third-baseman and it got passed him ...... that will be ruled an error ...... it should have been fielded and resulted in an inning ending double play ...... as it is, Roneberg comes around to score the tying run!!! ...... the game is now tied at 4-4 here in the top of the sixth innings"
Fourth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at second base - two down
"The Senators' are going to intentionally walk Brett here in the top of the seventh inning with the score tied at '4-4' ...... it is a case of 'picking-your-poison' whether you pitch to Brett or Simond Pond, but now there is a force at each base which may have been their intention"
Intentional walk
Left stranded at the end of the innings
Fifth at-bat
Top of the ninth innings!!!
The score is tied at '6-6'!!!
The go-ahead run is at second base!!!
One down!!!
Lefthanded pitcher
Runner at second base - one down
Foul ball - "Roneberg was all over that pitch, but he was just out in front of it and the ball goes foul down the rightfield line"
Foul ball - popped up foul
"And now the pitcher spins and throws to second base but the runner is safe ...... no, that move has been called a balk!!! ...... and the runner is awarded third base!!! ...... and here comes the Senators' Manager!!! ...... and he is really riled up and in the face of the home plate umpire!!! ...... and he has now been tossed from the game!!! ...... but he is still going, and he is the type of guy that likes to get his money worth!!! ...... and Brett is now batting with the go-ahead run just ninety feet away!!!"
Ball - low
Ball - upstairs
"There's a tapper in front of the plate ...... and it's picked up by the pitcher who throws to first base for the out ...... and now the runner is coming home from third base!!! ...... and there is the relay throw!!! ...... and it's not in time!!! ...... and the runner scores with some great base-running!!! ...... and that balk call now takes on further importance!!! ...... and the Curve take the lead in the ninth innings with Roneberg's second RBI of the game!!!"
Ground out to the pitcher - 1 x RBI

Heard during the Game

(#01) "Senators' Dan Dement flies out to Curve leftfielder Brett Roneberg"
This note is from the play-by-play report and was the first out in the bottom of the first innings - the hit was to deep leftfield and the commentator said - "That ball is 'hit-on-a-rope' to deep leftfield ...... and Roneberg is going back!!! ...... and he reaches up a makes a nice catch!!! ...... that was a very good defensive play by Brett and he takes extra bases away from the Senators' Dement!!!"

(#02) During Brett's second at-bat, the commentator mentioned - "Over his last twelve games, Brett is batting 16-from-40 for an average of 0.400 ...... he has also driven in nine runs in just his last four games for a total of fifty-seven for the season"
He then drove in another run making it fifty-eight for the year!!!

(#03) As Brett came in for his fourth at-bat, the commentator said - "And that brings Brett Roneberg to the plate, and he is currenty ninth in the Eastern League Leaders with a batting average of 0.291 at the start of tonight's game ...... and he is currently 2-from-2 tonight, so that average will go up"

Email from Brett

That was a long game!!
Absolutely drained now and need to try and get some recovery before the game tomorrow
Managed to do okay tonight too
And glad to get the cheap RBI in the ninth!!

Game Reports

The Harrisburg Senators belted five home runs, including a walk-off, two-run shot by catcher Salomon Manriquez in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Senators ended a nine-game losing streak with an 8-7 win over the Curve in a wild game Wednesday night at Commerce Bank Park in Harrisburg

The contest featured three ties and four lead changes, including a roller coaster final two innings, which saw the Curve give up leads in both the eighth and ninth innings

The Curve bullpen, which has been one of the club's strengths throughout the season, entered the game having blown just three save opportunities the entire season, including none in the final scheduled inning

In the eighth, Altoona plated runs on RBI's by Ray Sadler and Javier Guzman to take a brief lead at 6-5

However, Senators' second baseman Dan Dement tied the game in the bottom of the frame against Curve reliever Franklin Perez with the second of his two homers in the contest

The Curve regained the lead in the top of the ninth against Harrisburg reliever Gerald Plexico when Brian Bixler charged home from third base and scored on a Brett Roneberg groundout

Leading 7-6 entering the bottom of the ninth, closer Brandon Knight came on in search of his league-leading twenty-first save
With a runner at first and two outs, Manriquez hit a towering drive over the left-center field wall to give Harrisburg the victory in one of the wildest games of the season

Knight (2-7) suffered his seventh loss of the season and was tagged with the Curve's first ninth-inning blown save of the season

Plexico (3-2) earned the win for the Senators, who had lost twelve of their last thirteen games in addition to their nine-game slide

Roneberg went 2-for-3 in the contest and knocked in two runs, giving the 27-year old Australian eleven RBI's in five games on the current Curve road trip

Ray Sadler also had two hits, including a second-inning solo home run - his eleventh longball of the season

Altoona and Harrisburg will play the deciding game of their three-game series Thursday night on City Island
The Curve will send former Senators' right-hander Ron Chiavacci (1-2, 3.95) to the mound against Harrisburg righty Kip Bouknight (5-8, 4.67)

First pitch is set for 6.35pm

Salomon Manriquez blasted a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift Harrisburg over Altoona, 8-7, on Wednesday

Trailing, 7-6, with one out in the ninth, Frank Diaz hit an infield single off Brandon Knight (2-7)
After Knight retired Josh Whitesell on a flyout, Manriquez, who had two hits, blasted his sixth longball over the left-field wall as the Senators snapped a nine-game losing streak

Manriquez's blast led a five-homer outburst by the Senators (53-57)
Dan Dement hit his sixteenth and seventeenth, both solo shots
Kory Casto, who had three hits and scored three times, blasted a solo shot, his eighteenth, and Prentice Redman smacked a two-run shot, his eighth, as Harrisburg pounded out fourteen hits

Harrisburg had to come from behind on three different occasions

Dement's second homer in the eighth tied the game at 7-7 before Brian Bixler scored on Brett Roneberg's groundout in the ninth to put the Curve in front one final time

Harrisburg reliever Gerald Plexico (3-2) allowed one run on one hit in the ninth to earn the victory

Roneberg went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored for the Curve (62-45), while Ray Sadler added two hits, including his eleventh home run, drove in two runs and scored twice to lead Altoona's ten hit attack

If the long fly ball off Salomon Manriquez's bat is caught in the bottom of the ninth inning of last night's game against Altoona, then there's no argument:-
The Harrisburg Senators would have reached the absolute low point of the 2006 season

But the towering fly ball to left-center field wasn't caught; in fact it landed beyond the fence for a two-run homer, lifting the Senators to a simply amazing 8-7 victory over the Curve before 2,887 fans at Commerce Bank Park

Manriquez's blast - the first walk-off home run in his career - not only dramatically snapped the Senators' nine-game losing streak, it worked like an over-the-counter pill that quickly but temporarily erases pain
Instead of fuming over four more errors, three blown leads and a red-faced manager who was tossed from this Eastern League contest, Senators players and coaches enjoyed the clubhouse music and general aftereffects of a win

"It was a frustrating game because we kept taking the lead and then giving it back with our defense" said Harrisburg manager John Stearns, who was ejected in the top of the ninth after arguing a balk call with home plate umpire Dan Bellino
"It would have been the low point of this whole losing streak
Yet it turned out to be one of our better wins of the year, and I didn't see it"

Using a lot of long ball, Harrisburg (53-57) skipped to leads of 2-0 in the first, 4-3 in the third and 5-4 in the seventh
But each time Altoona (62-45) would crawl right back, usually on the heels of yet another defensive miscue

The four errors give Harrisburg nine total in the last two games

Harrisburg's "Oh no, not again!" face showed itself in the ninth inning when Brian Bixler barely beat out a bunt single to start the frame
With the score tied 6-6, Vic Buttler sacrificed Bixler to second
Ahead 0-2 on Brett Roneberg, Senators left-handed reliever Jeremy Plexico (3-2) was called for a balk on a fake pickoff move to second base, advancing Bixler to third
After a livid Stearns argued, Roneberg grounded slowly to Plexico, and Bixler raced home after the pitcher's throw to first base

Right-handed closer Brandon Knight (2-7), who entered the game with twenty saves and a 2.17 earned-run average, came on in the home half of the inning for the save
But with one out, Frank Diaz (3-for-5) reached on an infield single
After a flyout, Manriquez lofted an 0-1 breaking ball over the wall

It was Harrisburg's fifth home run of the game

"We've been trying so hard just to win some games" Manriquez said
"We never gave up on this one"

"We have to springboard off this win, go out and gain some momentum" said Stearns, whose team still trails Altoona by 10-1/2 games for the South Division's final playoff spot with little more than a month to go

Last night's four errors led to four unearned runs by the Curve
Starter Shawn Hill, on a rehab start, allowed three runs (one earned) in three innings
Beltran Perez replaced him and allowed three runs (one earned) in five innings

Shortstop Seth Bynum committed two errors on routine ground balls, and third baseman Greg Thissen added another

"It's not for a lack of effort" Stearns said, "but it's a lack of concentration"

Offensive heroics, including two solo home runs by Dan DeMent and other blasts by Kory Casto and Prentice Redman, saved the Senators last night

But the reality is the team can't rely on walk-off home runs every night

"When you're losing, everything goes bad" Manriquez said
"Hopefully now everything will be good again"

Notes
Casto (3-for-5) entered last night's game with just one extra-base hit in ninety at-bats against left-handed pitching - but against Curve lefty Mike Connolly, he was 2-for-3 with a double and a solo homer
Home plate umpire Bellino issued warnings to both benches after Connolly hit Perez as Perez squared to bunt in the fourth
Perez and Connolly exchanged words as the Senators right-hander made his way down the first-base line
Altoona relievers hadn't blown a save opportunity in the ninth inning this year before last night

Brandon Knight has suffered his fair share of trouble with walk-off hits lately, but never while pitching with the lead - until now

The Curve closer surrendered a walk-off, two-run blast in the bottom of the ninth inning, as Altoona dropped a topsy-turvy contest against Harrisburg, 8-7, at Commerce Bank Park on Wednesday night

This marked the first time all year the Curve have blown a lead entering a game’s final scheduled inning

The teams traded the lead four times, twice in the last two innings, with the Senators finally jumping on Altoona’s normally reliable bullpen

Pitching with a 7-6 advantage in the ninth, Knight (2-7) allowed a one-out infield single to shortstop
The right-hander recorded his second out by inducing a fly ball that died at the warning track in left field
Salomon Manriquez then followed with one that traveled just a little farther, landing over the left field wall to end the game

In the last two months, Knight has given up four extra-inning walk-off hits after entering a tied game, but he hadn’t blown a ninth-inning save all year until Wednesday night

The Curve also blew an eighth-inning lead with Franklin Perez on the mound
Altoona had seized a 6-5 lead with a two-run rally in the top half of the frame, but Perez surrendered a one-out solo shot to Dan Dement, his second of the night, to knot the score

The Curve then pushed home the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth when Brian Bixler reached on a bunt single and later scored on Brett Roneberg’s RBI groundout

Roneberg has now driven in eleven runs in his last five games and has batted .419 (18-for-43) in his last 13 games to raise his average to .295

Gerald Plexico (3-2) pitched the ninth inning to pick up the win, despite allowing the go-ahead run

For the second straight night, Harrisburg struggled defensively, committing four errors that led to four unearned runs

The Senators made up for the miscues by belting five homers

On another hot and humid night in Harrisburg, the Senators finally got hot themselves and snapped their nine-game losing streak with a dramatic 8-7 win over the Altoona Curve

The Senators hit five home runs in the game, capped by a two-out two-run home run off the bat of Salomon Manriquez delivering the win in walk off fashion

Shawn Hill made a MLB rehab start for the Senators on Wednesday and went the first three innings before giving way to Beltran Perez
Both Hill and Perez pitched effectively in allowing just two earned runs through the first eight innings

But for a second night in a row the Sens defense let them down committing four errors, to make it nine total errors in the first two games of the series

But Wednesday night the Senators bats came to life in a big and dramatic way
Prentice Redman put the Sens on the board with a two-run home run in the first inning
Then in the third inning Dan DeMent hit the first of two solo homers and Kory Casto also homered to make the score 4-3 Sens

The score stayed that way until the top of the sixth inning when Altoona tied the game

The Senators took the lead again in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI single off the bat of Josh Whitesell

But Altoona came right back with two runs in the eighth to take a 6-5 lead

Dan DeMent's second solo homer of the game tied the score 6-6 heading into the ninth inning

Altoona plated a run in the top of the ninth to take a 7-6 lead and brought on Brandon Knight to close out the game
Knight was 20-21 in save opportunities coming into the game
With one out Frank Diaz reached on an infield single
Then with two outs, Salomon Manriquez hit an 0-1 pitch over the left center field fence giving the Sens the win and making Jeremy Plexico the winner
Plexico had come on in the ninth inning for the Senators

Game three of the series is Thursday night at Commerce Bank Park
Game time Thursday is 6.35pm and the game can be heard on 1460 The Ticket and through the Senators website beginning at 6.20pm

Altoona (Double-A, 62-45) lost, 8-7, at Harrisburg (Nationals)

Left fielder Brett Roneberg reached base four times, drove in two runs, and scored twice

Right fielder Ray Sadler was 2 for 4 with a solo home run

Right-hander Brandon Knight (2-7) allowed a game-winning, two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth