The Result
Curve - 5 runs to 3

The Curve - Year-to-Date
74 won and 59 lost

Brett's Position and the Batting Order
Playing - Designated hitter
Batting - #4

At the end of the Game
2 hits from 4 at-bats - 2 x singles, 1 x run-driven-in, 1 x strike out

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Runners at first and second base - none down
"Roneberg jumps on that pitch and goes the other way!!! ...... and the runner from second base is rounding third base and heading home!!! ...... and he is in, and the Curve score their second run here in the bottom of the first innings!!! ...... the runner from first base is trying for third base, but he is thrown out on a '7to5' play ...... and Brett is in to second base safely on the throw"
Single to leftfield - 1 x RBI
Left stranded at the end of the innings
Second at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Runners at first and second base - one down
Called strike
Ball - outside
Ball
Foul ball
"And Roneberg swings and misses at that pitch for the second out of the innings"
Strike out
Third at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - one down
Foul ball
Called strike - on the outside corner
"Brett hit this through the hole on the rightside and he has his second hit of the ballgame ...... the Aeros' first-baseman was holding the runner on and Brett pushed it through the gap ...... that was a nice piece of hitting, and it allowed the runner to advance to third base"
Single to rightfield
The next Curve batter hit the ball hard but straight at the Aeros' first-baseman ...... he made the catch and stepped on the base to double off Brett for the final out of the innings
Fourth at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Ball - inside
Ball - outside
Called strike
Called strike
"This ball is hit high in the infield and the first-baseman calls for it and makes the catch for the first out of the innings"
Infield fly out to first base - F3

Heard during the Game

(#01) As Brett came in for his first at-bat, the commentator mentioned - "Brett comes in to tonight's game with a batting average of 0.301 which is fifth best in the Eastern League in that category ...... there are only four players in the League with an average better than '300' and Brett is one of them"

(#02) After Brett's RBI-single in his first at-bat, the commentator said - "That is Brett's sixty-ninth run-driven-in for the season ...... coming in to tonight's game he was ninth in the Eastern League in that category"
He then continued - "Brett has now driven in twenty-one runs in his last twenty-one games"

(#03) During Brett's third at-bat, the commentator said - "Brett Roneberg now steps to the plate, and he would have to be a candidate for the Curve's Most Valuable Player"

Email from Brett

Game Reports

Landon Jacobsen came just two outs from pitching a complete game, as the Curve defeated the Akron Aeros, 5-3, Monday night at Blair County Ballpark

Jacobsen’s victory was his fourteenth of the season, and tied him for the league lead in that category

In a matchup that is likely a preview of the first round of the Eastern League playoffs, the Curve jumped out to a 5-0 lead before a late flurry by the Aeros ruined Jacobsen’s shutout bid

The Altoona victory, coupled with third-place Reading's game two doubleheader loss to New Britain on Monday, reduced the club's magic number to officially clinch the E.L. wild card berth to two

The first-place Aeros didn’t earn a hit until the fourth inning and still need one victory to clinch the Southern Division regular season title and home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs

The Curve scored twice in their first at-bat, opening the game with four consecutive base hits
Javier Guzman doubled to lead off the inning and was followed by three straight singles by Brian Bixler, Andrew McCutchen and Brett Roneberg to put the Curve out in front

Altoona would plate three more runs in the bottom of the second using a run-scoring single by Guzman and a two-RBI single by McCutchen who finished the game 2-for-3 with three RBI’s and a walk

Jacobsen would last 8-1/3 innings, surrendering three runs - two earned - on seven hits and two walks
The right-hander has now won six of his last seven decisions

Brandon Knight came on to pitch the final two outs of the game to pick up his twenty-sixth save of the season, adding to his franchise record total

The Aeros would use a total of four pitchers to hold the Curve scoreless over the final six innings

Aaron Laffey started for Akron and was shelled for five earned runs on ten hits while allowing three walks to earn the loss

Akron would score three times in the ninth to make the score close, led by Ryan Mulhern’s single to help him finish the game 3-for-4

The two teams will play again on Tuesday night at Blair County Ballpark at 7.05pm
Mike Connolly starts for Altoona against Akron’s Sean Smith

The first 2,000 fans ages 15 & over will take home a Curve Cooler Bag on Blue & White Night presented by Penn State Altoona

Landon Jacobsen tossed 8-1/3 strong innings and Andrew McCutchen drove in three runs as Altoona beat visiting Akron, 5-3, on Monday

Jacobsen (14-8) came within two outs of a complete-game shutout before allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks with two strikeouts in his longest outing of the season
He has won six of his last seven decisions and is tied with Akron's Adam Miller for the Eastern League lead in victories

Brandon Knight recorded the final two outs to notch his league-leading twenty-sixth save

The Curve opened the game with four consecutive hits
Javier Guzman led off with a double, Brian Bixler singled and McCutchen and Brett Roneberg followed with run-scoring base hits

McCutchen, who went 2-for-3, added a two-run single in the second as the Curve jumped out to a 5-0 lead

Guzman went 2-for-3, scored twice and drove in a run for Altoona (73-59), which won its second straight

The Curve reduced their magic number for clinching a playoff berth to two

Aeros starter Aaron Laffey (8-3) had his five-game winning streak snapped after surrendering five runs on ten hits over five innings
He walked three and struck out two

Akron's magic number for clinching the Southern Division remained at one

Brian Barton ripped a two-run double in the ninth and Ryan Mulhern went 3-for-4 with a run scored for the Aeros (82-53), who dropped their second straight

At the tender age of 19, it appears that Curve outfielder Andrew McCutchen may well be on the fast track toward his major league debut
Having already leapfrogged over the Pirates’ high Class A Lynchburg, Va. team to the Curve from the Pirates’ low Class A Hickory (N.C.) squad two weeks ago, McCutchen has been opening eyes with his maturity and bat-control, along with his many other assets

He made another case for himself Monday night at Blair County Ballpark, driving in three runs with an opposite-field, first-inning single and fisting a two-run double to left-center in the Curve’s three-run third inning, as Altoona turned away Akron, 5-3, before a crowd of 3,703 fans

The Curve’s win, coupled with Reading’s doubleheader split with New Britain, left the Curve with a magic number of two to clinch a playoff spot in the Eastern League’s Southern Division

Akron, which leads the division by seven games over second-place Altoona, can lock up first place with a victory in any of the next three games in this series, which continues tonight and extends through Thursday

McCutchen’s single to right scored Javier Guzman, who had doubled, from third base in the Curve’s two-run first inning
Following that, Brett Roneberg’s RBI single plated Brian Bixler, who had reached on an infield hit

In the Curve’s three-run second inning, McCutchen fought off a pitch and dumped a two-run single to left-center as the Curve built a 5-0 lead against Akron starting pitcher Aaron Laffey, who had entered the game with an 8-2 record and 3.33 earned run average
McCutchen’s second-inning single came with the bases loaded and scored both Brant Ust and Guzman
Earlier in the inning, Guzman’s single to right had scored Brandon Chaves

“That’s basic baseball, getting the runners home with less than two outs’’ McCutchen said
“I was in that situation twice tonight, and Lord willing, I capitalized on both of them’’

Curve manager Tim Leiper lauded McCutchen for his control at the plate
“He’s a real professional hitter’’ Leiper said
“He did a real fine job of hitting what the pitcher was pitching twice tonight and not trying to do too much with the pitch’’

Curve pitcher Landon Jacobsen earned his fourteenth win of the season with a commanding performance in which he worked 8-1/3 innings before yielding to closer Brandon Knight, who logged his twenty-sixth save
Jacobsen left after giving up designated hitter Brian Barton’s two-run double in the ninth

Akron’s other run came on a throwing error by Curve shortstop Brian Bixler later in the inning

Jacobsen threw one-hundred-and-nine pitches, and Leiper had serious thoughts about letting him finish
“Right from the start tonight, he had real good command’’ Leiper said of Jacobsen, who allowed seven hits - three in the ninth inning - struck out two batters, and walked two
“He went out there to start the ninth inning, and you want him to go out of the game on a good note
He pitched us to where we needed to go after being strong the whole way
He always seems to get better as the season progresses, and tonight was one of his best efforts’’

Akron manager Tim Bogar said he isn’t overly concerned about his team taking care of the business of wrapping up the division title this week
“We just have to come out every day and play at a high level’’ Bogar said
“I’m not too worried about this series’’

The Curve would need a miracle to win the division outright with a week to play
But the prospect of a repeat of last season’s playoff scenario, in which Akron won the division and met the second-place Curve in the opening round of the playoffs, seems very likely
Akron won last year’s playoff series with the Curve in five games

“I always know what’s going on with the scoreboard and magic number, but my biggest priority is for us to win as many games as possible’’ Leiper said
“If you do that, you get to where you want to be’’

Around the Curve
For the third time this year, Adam West - who starred as “Batman” on the 1960s television series - has contacted the Curve with the news that he is not available to appear in the Curve’s retro-celebrity series - West was scheduled to make an appearance before tonight’s game
“We’re very disappointed that Adam West has called to cancel, but overall, the retro-celebrity series this year has been awesome’’ Curve general manager Todd Parnell said “We’ve been very pleased with it’’
Righthanded pitcher Brian Rogers, who was promoted to the Pittsburgh Pirates from Class AAA Indianapolis Monday, became the 57th former Curve player to be promoted to the Pirates since the inception of the Altoona franchise in 1999
Former Curve outfielder Tony Alvarez was released from the Baltimore Orioles’ Class AAA Ottawa team Monday
Alvarez also saw action in the major leagues with the Pirates
The Curve now lead the season series with Akron, 11-10

Host Altoona scored five runs in the first two innings off Aeros starter Aaron Laffey and held on for the 5-3 victory

Outfielder Andrew McCutcheon drove home three of the Curve's five runs, and designated hitter Brett Roneberg and second baseman Javier Guzman had one RBI each

Laffey (8-3) worked five innings and allowed five earned runs on ten hits

Curve starter Landon Jacobsen had a shutout heading into the ninth inning, but the Aeros scored three runs - two earned - off him to cut their deficit to 5-3

Designated hitter Brian Barton hit a one-out, two-run double to drive home first baseman Ryan Mulhern and second baseman Shaun Larkin
One out later, Barton scored on a throwing error by Curve shortstop Brian Bixler, but Wyatt Toregas popped out to end the game