......but first - Eastern League Playoff Preview
----------------from the Minor League Baseball web site

Altoona Curve (75-64) v Akron Aeros (87-55)
(Best-of-5)

REGULAR-SEASON SERIES

You'd think 24 games would tell you something
In this case, you'd be wrong
The two teams finished the season 12-12 against each other
Run scored differential is no help either, with Altoona scoring 96 runs to Akron's 97
The Curve went 4-3 in April against the Aeros, then lost the only two May meetings to even the series (Akron won the third game of that series on June 1 to take a 6-4 edge)
Altoona bounced back by taking five of seven from Akron in late June and early July, going up 9-8 in the season series
The Aeros won two of three in the middle of July to knot things up and the two rivals split a four-game series at the end of August, so there's not even late-season momentum to talk about

HEAD-TO-HEAD STATS

Altoona
He hasn't been with the Curve all year, but shortstop Brian Bixler has enjoyed facing Akron, hitting .326 in 11 games
Brett Roneberg leads the team with three homers and 13 RBIs against the Aeros
Nyjer Morgan hit .423 with seven steals in seven games against Akron, but his status is uncertain because of injury
The Curve hit .240 as a team against the Aeros in 2006
The pitching staff posted a 3.69 ERA in the series, led by Landon Jacobson, who went 3-2 with a 2.83 ERA in five starts, including a win on Aug. 28
Wardell Starling joined Altoona midseason, but made four starts against the Aeros, going 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA, picking up a playoff-clinching win on Aug. 30
Akron
SS Ivan Ochoa has hit .353 with five steals in 15 games against Altoona
OF Brad Snyder leads current Aeros with four homers and 15 RBIs, but he's hit just .228 in 24 games
OF Ryan Goleski has fared a little better, hitting .267 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 16 games
The Aeros hit .244 over the 24 games
The pitching staff had a 3.83 ERA
Adam Miller appeared seven times against the Curve, but they never could figure him out. He went 4-2 with a 2.57 ERA, striking out 39 and walking 9 in 42 IP
Sean Smith made four starts, going 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA

PROBABLE PITCHERS

Game 1 - Altoona at Akron
Jason Roach (6-7, 3.65 ERA) v Adam Miller (15-6, 2.75 ERA)
Game 2 - Altoona at Akron
Josh Shortslef (6-1, 4.30 ERA) v Nick Pesco (6-8, 5.81 ERA)
Game 3 - Akron at Altoona
Aaron Laffey (8-3, 3.59 ERA) v Landon Jacobson (14-8, 2.98 ERA)
Game 4 - Akron at Altoona, if necessary
Sean Smith (10-5, 3.86) vs. Wardell Starling (6-4, 2.68)
Game 5 - Altoona at Akron, if necessary
TBD vs. Jensen Lewis (1-2, 4.36)

ON THE MOUND

Altoona
The Curve finished the regular season with the second-best ERA in the Eastern League at 3.55
Landon Jacobsen, who finished third in voting for league pitcher of the year, went 14-8 with a 2.98 ERA (third in the league)
Wardell Starling joined the Curve after 13 starts with Lynchburg and has gone 6-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 14 Double-A starts
Curve closer Brandon Knight led the EL in saves with 27 and gave up just one run in August after losing a game on Aug. 2
Akron
Adam Miller won EL Pitcher of the Year honors after winning 15 games, posting a 2.75 ERA (behind only Phil Hughes) and striking out 157 in 153-2/3 innings. Over his last 10 Double-A starts, he went 8-1 with a 0.97 ERA
Sean Smith may not have the marquee name - or the power stuff - like Miller, but he's been steady nonetheless, with 10 wins and a 3.86 ERA
Lefty Aaron Laffey has gone 8-3 with a 3.59 ERA in 18 starts with Akron. The groundball artist has a 3.11 ERA in six August starts
The Aeros finished fifth in the EL with a 3.73 team ERA

AT THE PLATE

Altoona
Veteran Brett Roneberg pushed his average over .300 with a .377 August. His 72 RBIs put him in the Top 10 in the EL
Simon Pond led the team with 77 RBIs, but he's hit just .188 after the break
Despite playing in just 56 games, Nyjer Morgan was just outside of the Top 10 in steals with 21 while hitting .306. He swiped 59 bases combined this season before getting hurt
The Curve were third in the EL in average (.262) and OPS (.719)
Akron
The Aeros led the league with a .748 OPS and .272 average
OF Brad Snyder led the team in homers (18) and RBIs (72) while swiping 20 bases. He's been outstanding down the stretch, hitting .314 with nine homers, 20 RBIs and seven steals in August
Infielder Eider Torres finished second in the league with 40 steals
OF Ryan Goleski split the year between Kinston and Akron, but has combined to hit 25 homers and drive in 103 runs. With the Aeros, he's hit .298 with 16 HR and 62 RBIs in 85 games

HISTORY LESSONS

For the fifth straight season, either Akron or Altoona won the Southern Division title, with the Aeros having won four of the five (Altoona won in 2004)
The Curve and Aeros will be meeting for the third time in four years
That could be a good omen for Akron, which went on to win the EL title in 2003 and 2005 after beating Altoona in both semifinals
Since 1998, Akron has been in the playoffs a total of five times (including this year), playing in two championship series
Altoona's gone four times (consecutively from 2003-2006), but the Curve have yet to win a title
They played for the championship in 2004, but got swept by New Hampshire

SERIES COULD TURN ON

Since these two teams know each other so well, it could come down to the relative newcomers on each team and who performs better
Altoona could get a lift from Andrew McCutchen, who has just 16 ABs against Akron, or Neil Walker, who missed a chunk of time after being promoted from Lynchburg with a viral infection
Getting Morgan's speed back from injury could be huge as well, and he only faced the Aeros in seven games
For Akron, Trevor Crowe only played in six games of this series. He's struggled down the stretch (while learning to play second), but like with Morgan, his speed can be a game-changer
Brian Barton only has 14 ABs against the Curve as well
It also could turn on who misses players the most
Aside from Morgan and his injury, the Curve will be without key contributors like Shane Youman, Vic Buttler and Adam Boeve, who are trying to help Indianapolis in the International League
Akron no longer has Kevin Kouzmanoff, who hit .469 with five homers in 10 games against Altoona this year

PREDICTION

With all those variables and with how familiar these two teams are with each other, anything can happen in this series
In the end, though, it will likely come down to who gets the better starting pitching
With Akron sending out Adam Miller and Sean Smith and a rejuvenated Brad Snyder leading the offense, it's hard to imagine Altoona matching the Aeros
-Aeros in Five-

Curve announces playoff roster

The Altoona Curve released their active roster for the 2006 Eastern League playoffs today
The team opens up its fourth consecutive post-season campaign tonight against the Akron Aeros at 7.05pm at Canal Park

The Curve’s roster features Brian Bixler, who batted a team-high .326 against the Aeros in eleven regular season contests, as well as two players that will make their Double-A debuts for Altoona during the playoffs, Brent Lillibridge and Pedro Powell
Lillibridge and Powell have been promoted from Class-A Lynchburg, where the two starred for the Hillcats of the Carolina League
Powell led the entire circuit with sixty-three stolen bases, twenty-five more than the next-highest total, and was tied for the league-lead with seventeen sacrifice bunts
The 5-foot-7-inch, 147-pound outfielder ranked second on his club in runs and hits, appearing in a team-high 131 games
Lillibridge is in just his second year of professional baseball and played fifty-four games for the ‘Cats before being called up to Altoona
The 22-year old began the season with the Hickory Crawdads, where he batted .299 with eleven home runs and was selected as a mid-season All-Star in the South Atlantic League
In fifty-four games with Lynchburg, Lillibridge hit .313 with twenty-four stolen bases and finished the regular season on an eleven game hit streak

Curve Playoff Active Roster

Pitchers - Mike Connolly, Dave Davidson, Chris Hernandez, Landon Jacobsen, Brandon Knight, Blaine Neal, Matt Peterson, Jason Roach, Josh Shortslef, Wardell Starling, Jorge Vasquez
Catchers - Octavio Martinez, Milver Reyes, Neil Walker
Iinfielders - Brian Bixler, Brandon Chaves, Javier Guzman, Taber Lee, Brent Lillibridge, Simon Pond, Brant Ust
Outfielders - Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Powell, Brett Roneberg, Ray Sadler

Team Awards

It’s been quite a year for Brett Roneberg
After missing the entire 2005 season with an injury, Roneberg returned to the diamond this year and was voted to the Eastern League All Star Game in Altoona
The 27-year old took home the 'Star-of-Star' Award from the mid-summer classic and recently won the Ron Fiochetta Award as the Curve’s team 'Most Valuable Player'
Roneberg finished the regular season with a .303 batting average, the second highest in the entire league, ten home runs and seventy-four RBI

Other award winners included Brandon Chaves, who took home the 'Unsung Hero Award', 'co-Pitchers of the Year' Landon Jacobsen and Shane Youman and 'King of Swing' Ray Sadler, who led the team with fifteen home runs

Playoff Pirates

The Curve are the only team in the Pirates’ organization to reach post-season play this season
Triple-A Indianapolis forced a one-game playoff with Toledo Tuesday night to determine the division winner in the International League West, but the Indians dropped a 4-0 decision to the Mud Hens, thus ending their season

Been Here Before

Only three players on the Curve’s current playoff roster were with Altoona during the 2005 Divisional Playoff Round against Akron
Those players are pitchers Matt Peterson and Jason Roach and infielder Javier Guzman
Four other players - pitchers Mike Connolly and Landon Jacobsen and outfielders Brett Roneberg and Ray Sadler - were all members of the Curve’s first playoff club in 2003

The Result
Aeros - 12 runs to 10

The Playoffs
Curve - 0 won and 1 lost
Aeros - 1 won and 0 lost

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

At the end of the Game
2 hits from 5 at-bats - single, double, 2 x runs-driven-in, 2 x runs scored

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Called strike - on the outside corner
Ball - fast ball - high and wide
"And Brett goes the other way with that pitch ...... and the leftfielder is going across ...... but he can't cut it off!!! ...... and the ball goes all the way to the wall and on to the warning track!!! ...... and Roneberg cruises into second base with a lead off double and the first hit of the ballgame for either side!!! ...... you could argue that the leftfielder made the wrong approach to that ball which allowed it to get passed him ...... but Brett is at second base with a hard hit drive into the opposite field, and he is continuing his hot hitting from the end of the regular season"
Double to left-centrefield
Advanced to third base on an infield ground out
Scored on another infield ground out - "and the Curve have taken 1-0 lead here in the top of the second innings!!!"
Second at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Ball
Ball - high
Ball
Called strike
There's a bouncer towards the Aeros' shortstop and he collects the ball and throws to first base for the first out of the innings"
Ground out to shortstop - 6 to 3
Third at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runners at second and third base - one down
Foul ball
"There's a ground ball across the diamond and it's picked up by the second-baseman who throws on to first base for the out but not before the run comes in to score ...... Brett picks up a run-driven-in on that groundout and the Curve have scored their second run of the game and the score is now nine runs to two here in the top of the sixth innings"
Ground out to second base - 4 to 3 - 1 x RBI
The runner from second base advanced to third base
Fourth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at second base - one down
Ball - outside
Called strike
"That's a bouncer to the Aeros' second-baseman who collects the ball and throws to first base for the out ...... the runner is able to move across to third base"
Ground out to second base - 4 to 3
Fifth at-bat
Lefthanded pitcher
Runners at first and third base - two down
"And Roneberg hits that pitch sharply into rightfield and the runner from third base comes in to score!!! ...... Brett has his second hit and his second run-driven-in for the game ...... and the score is now twelve runs to seven in the Aeros' favour ...... it's two down here in the top of the ninth innings and the Curve still have runners at first and second base"
Single to rightfield - 1 x RBI
Advanced to third base on a hit
Scored on another hit

Heard during the Game

(#01) As Brett came in for his first at-bat, the commentator mentioned - "Brett Roneberg now steps to the plate ...... he had a tremendous finish to the regular season ...... in his final thirty-four games, he went 42-from-114 for an average of 0.368 over that time"
He then continued - "Brett finished the season with a batting average of 0.303 and that was second best in the entire Eastern League"

(#02) During the at-bat, he also said - "It has been a great year for Brett Roneberg ...... he was selected as the 'Most Valuable Player' in the Eastern League All Star Game back in July ...... and last Monday he was announced as the winner of the same Award for the 2006 Curve Team"

Playoff Statistics "Series-to-Date"
Games played - One
------5 x plate appearances
------5 x at-bats
------2 x hits
------------1 x single
------------1 x double
------2 x runs-driven-in
------2 x runs scored
------3 x ground outs
Batting average - 0.400
Slugging average - 0.600
On base percentage - 0.400

Email from Brett

Tuesday 5th September 2006
The Playoffs
Today is a day off and later we bus to Akron before we play tomorrow
Hopefully we can turn it around
The team doesn't look really good lately and our offense is struggling
Just hope we play well

Wednesday 6th September 2006
Well, that game was a little weird wasn't it!!
Hopefully Game Two will be like the ninth inning!!
See what I can do!!

Game Reports

The Curve scored seven runs in the top of the ninth inning and put the potential game-tying run on base, but fell short in a 12-10 loss to the Akron Aeros in Game One of the Eastern League Southern Division Playoff Series Wednesday night at Canal Park in Akron

The Aeros, who won the Southern Division regular season title, lead the best-of-five first round series, 1-0

Trailing 12-3 entering the final frame, Altoona began a frenetic comeback, scoring seven times against relievers Matt Davis and Reid Santos before newcomer Pedro Powell reached base on a walk to represent the tying run
However, the third Akron pitcher of the inning, closer Jim Ed Warden, got Brandon Chaves to pop out to short for the final out of the contest
Overall, the Curve sent twelve men to the plate in the inning, including Neil Walker, who recorded a leadoff triple and a two-run double in the frame

Throughout the game, Akron built a healthy lead for Eastern League Pitcher of the Year Adam Miller, who went seven innings and allowed three runs on seven hits to earn the win
Miller, who is considered the Indians’ top minor league pitching prospect, won fifteen games during the regular season, including three victories in seven starts against the Curve

The Aeros erased an early 1-0 Curve lead by scoring all twelve of their runs between the second and sixth frames

Altoona starter Jason Roach was charged with four of those runs in his 3-1/3 innings of work to suffer the loss
Roach also lost each of his last five regular season starts, posting a 7.27 ERA during that span

Akron broke the game open in the fifth inning, scoring five runs against reliever Matt Peterson, including a pair on a two-run homer by shortstop Ivan Ochoa

Ryan Mulhern’s two-run homer off Mike Connolly in the sixth capped a three-run frame and ended the Aeros’ scoring for the night

The Curve pounded out fourteen hits in the loss, including a three-hit effort by shortstop Brian Bixler

Walker, who knocked in the Curve’s first run of the night, finished 2-for-5 with three RBI

For Akron, all nine starters posted at least one hit, led by third baseman Pat Osborn, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with a walk

The two clubs will square off again Thursday night at 7.05pm in Game Two of the series at Canal Park
Altoona will send left-hander Josh Shortslef (6-2, 4.45) to the mound against Akron southpaw Aaron Laffey (8-3, 3.53)

Blair County Ballpark will host Game Three of the best-of-five series on Friday night at 7.05pm

Ivan Ochoa knocked in three runs to power Akron past visiting Altoona, 12-10, in Game One of the Eastern League playoffs on Wednesday

With the bases loaded in the second inning, Ochoa put the Aeros on the board with an RBI bunt single
"The infield was playing deep, so I knew a bunt would get a run in" he said
"The hamstring was a little sore on the run to first but it feels OK and was worth it to help the team"

Ochoa blasted his second hit of the night over the right-field fence for a two-run homer that capped a five-run fifth
"I told my manager and trainer before the game, I want to play" said Ochoa, who spent a week and a half on the disabled list with a sore hamstring

Pat Osborn lined RBI singles in the fourth and fifth as part of a 3-for-3 night, Ryan Mulhern slugged a two-run homer in the sixth and Brad Snyder went 2-for-3 with an RBI single in the fifth and three runs scored

Every Akron starter had at least one of the team's fourteen hits, with seven different players driving in runs

Adam Miller (1-0) earned the win, allowing three runs on seven hits over seven innings and striking out five without walking a batter

Jim Ed Warden got Brandon Chaves to pop up after Altoona put up seven runs in the ninth to pick up his first save

Neil Walker went 2-for-5 with a two-run double in the ninth and three RBIs for the Curve

Brian Bixler had three hits and scored twice

Jason Roach (0-1) took the loss, allowing four runs on five hits over 3-1/3 innings, walking three without striking out a batter

Reliever Matt Peterson didn't fare much better, surrendering five runs - one earned - on five hits in 1-2/3 innings

Akron hosts Game Two of the best-of-5 series on Thursday at 7.05pm

One inning may have saved the Curve’s season
‘‘We changed everything’’ manager Tim Leiper said
‘‘It was awesome’’

Minutes away from suffering their worst playoff loss ever, the Curve staged an amazing rally in the ninth inning Wednesday night at Canal Park to resurrect their postseason hopes
They still lost to Akron, 12-10, and trail 1-0 in the Southern Division series, but the Curve stole momentum out of what had all the makings of a disaster

‘‘I just feel like I want to play the second game right now’’ infielder Simon Pond said afterward
‘‘Let’s start the second game right now’’

That’s how confident the Curve players were despite the loss

Altoona’s pitching faltered, and Akron got several breaks in building a 12-3 lead entering the ninth

That kind of blowout loss in a series opener can devastate even the most resilient teams
But instead of giving up, the Curve swung the series momentum in their favor by scoring seven runs in their final at-bat
The hits kept coming, Akron’s defense collapsed with three errors, and all of a sudden, Altoona had the tying runs on base with two outs

‘‘That was fun’’ Pond said
‘‘I haven’t had that much fun for a while
It was exciting’’

Neil Walker tripled and scored on an error to start the ninth and later doubled in two runs, Altoona’s final two of the game
The Curve sent twelve batters to the plate, chasing two Akron relievers and forcing the Aeros to use their closer, Jim Ed Warden

‘‘With the score being 12-3, everybody was trying to get some good at-bats in and see if we can’t get a little momentum going into tomorrow’’ Walker said
‘‘One thing led to another, a couple walks, a couple hits, and it turned out to be a race to the finish’’

Brian Bixler had an RBI double, Andrew McCutchen an RBI single and Brett Roneberg a run-scoring single to make it 12-7
Pond then doubled home McCutchen before coming home along with Roneberg on Walker’s double
Walker was at third base with two outs when Ray Sadler appeared to get hit by a pitch
He went down immediately, but home plate umpire Dan Bellino ruled the ball hit Sadler’s bat
Sadler may have broken his right hand on the play and is doubtful for the rest of the series

‘‘That’s just wrong. That’s just absolutely wrong,’’ Leiper said of the call
‘‘Otherwise it’s a great game and the umpires did a good job, but they blew that
And that’s a bad situation
You’re not going to award a kid a base on a ball that possibly breaks his hand?’’

New roster addition Pedro Powell came in to hit for Sadler, fouled off a 3-2 pitch and then drew a walk
That brought Brandon Chaves to the plate as the go-ahead run, but Warden finally finished off the Curve by getting Chaves on an infield popup

‘‘You don’t expect to go and put seven runs up there, but we went up there and put together some good at-bats’’ Pond said

Usually, you can hear a pin drop in the losing clubhouse during the playoffs
The Curve clubhouse on Wednesday, however, had all the noise and smiles of a victorious one

‘‘It’s almost like a victory for us’’ Leiper said

The Curve figured to have a mental edge entering the game after the Aeros endured an embarrassing internal squabble
Akron reliever Bubbie Buzachero punched teammate Eider Torres, an All-Star second baseman, on Sunday, breaking Torres’ jaw and ending his season
Buzachero, one of Akron’s best relievers, was kicked off the team

Something like that can crush a club

It didn’t seem to bother the Aeros, though, as they came out swinging on their way to the 12-3 lead
Akron smacked fourteen hits, including two-run homers by Ivan Ochoa and Ryan Mulhern

The Aeros broke open the game with two runs in the fourth, five in the fifth and three in the sixth

‘‘A win’s a win’’ Akron manager Tim Bogar said
‘‘Yeah, it was a little bit of a nailbiter there at the end, but it’s one for us and none for them
The pressure’s on their guys - we’ve got a win in our pockets’’

Curve starter Jason Roach struggled with his control and allowed four runs on five hits with three walks over 3-1/3 innings
Roach has now lost six consecutive starts

Matt Peterson gave up five runs - one earned - in relief, and Mike Connolly allowed three runs

Akron starter Adam Miller, the Eastern League Pitcher of the Year, gave up three runs over seven innings for the win

The Curve collected seven hits off Miller, then had seven more over the final two innings against two relievers just called up from Single-A

Bixler finished with three hits, not to mention a terrific play at shortstop that saved a run in the second inning, while McCutchen, Roneberg, Pond and Walker had two hits apiece

‘‘It’s definitely good to see that’’ Curve pitcher Josh Shortslef, who will start Game Two on Thursday, said of the offensive outburst
‘‘I feel confident, and I feel even better now that we got the bats going’’

Around the Curve
The Curve have lost five games in a row, matching their season high
Relievers Peterson and Dave Davidson rejoined the Curve’s active roster for the playoffs, while Kyle Bloom and Yoann Torrealba, who had just come up from Single-A Lynchburg, were removed
The Curve also added shortstop Brent Lillibridge and outfielder Pedro Powell to the roster, both coming up from Lynchburg
Lillibridge hit .313 in 54 games for the Hillcats, while Powell hit .263 with 63 steals
Outfielder Nyjer Morgan had hoped to be ready by the series opener but was kept out with his injured hamstring - there’s a chance he could be activated during the series
With Triple-A Indianapolis’ season over, former Curve OF Vic Buttler stopped by Canal Park to watch Wednesday’s game

Altoona (Double-A, 75-64) lost, 12-10, at Akron in Game One of the best-of-five Eastern League Divisional playoff series

Catcher Neil Walker went 2 for 5 and had three RBI as the Curve mounted a comeback in the ninth inning, scoring seven runs after trailing, 12-3

Leftfielder Brett Roneberg had two hits and two RBI, as did Simon Pond

Starting pitcher Jason Roach worked 3-1/3 innings, giving up four runs on five hits and walking three

When the Altoona Curve sent their starting pitching rotation to the Aeros earlier this week in preparation for the Eastern League Southern Division Playoff Series that began Wednesday at Canal Park, more than a few folks did a double take

Were the Curve really sending struggling right-hander Jason Roach to the mound for Game One?
Against Aeros ace Adam Miller, no less?

Nothing against Roach, but he'd lost five consecutive games, allowing twenty-one earned runs in twenty-six innings
Fourteen-game winner Landon Jacobsen is undoubtedly the team's ace, with the now-healthy Josh Shortslef (6-2) a close second

Was Altoona simply conceding the win, knowing it was up against the league's Pitcher of the Year?
It sure looked that way as the Aeros topped the Curve 12-10 on Wednesday

It appeared the Aeros had the win all but wrapped up after a five-run fifth, having already chased a shaky Roach from the game after just 3-1/3 innings

Despite the Aeros holding a comfortable nine-run advantage heading into the final frame, it took three relievers to quell the Curve's seven-run rally - which was aided by three Aeros' errors - and nail down the win

``Hey, a win's a win'' Aeros manager Tim Bogar said
``Yeah, it was a little bit of a nail-biter there at the end
But the bottom line is there's one win for us and none for them
The pressure's on those guys now, because we have a win in our pockets''

Long before the Aeros' near collapse, Roach allowed four runs on five hits and three walks in his brief outing

The Aeros' Miller tossed seven strong innings
But he did allow three earned runs - which makes the decision to start Roach so early in the series even more questionable

Altoona struck first against Miller, with a leadoff double by Brett Roneberg in the second inning and a run-scoring ground out by Neil Walker

But the Aeros tied the game in the bottom of the inning
With one out, they had already loaded the bases - Brian Barton was hit by a pitch between a pair of walks
With Roach struggling to find the strike zone and the Aeros' Ivan Ochoa ahead in the count 2-0, the shortstop caught the Curve defense off guard with a drag bunt that scored Brad Snyder
Snyder just beat the throw home

``The infield was playing me back'' said Ochoa, whose two-run home run highlighted the fifth-inning outburst
``It's playoffs, so you have to do some different things to do whatever you can to help your team win''

The Aeros took the lead with a leadoff double of their own in the third inning
Trevor Crowe connected to the opposite field
Crowe aggressively took third on a ground ball to third base
Ryan Goleski's sacrifice fly to deep right field put the Aeros up 2-1

Fight aftermath
The ramifications of the Aeros clubhouse fight Sunday in Erie, Pa., goes beyond the obvious losses on the field
Second baseman Eider Torres must miss the playoffs, and reliever Bubbie Buzachero has been placed on the restricted list
Suffering a fracture on the left side of his jaw after being hit by a Buzachero punch, Torres, an All-Star, had to have his mouth wired shut
It is to remain that way for five or six weeks
As for Buzachero, his future with the Indians organization is up in the air
``In light of the unacceptable behavior - behavior we don't condone and consider unprofessional - Buzachero is not assigned to any club right now'' said Tribe farm director John Farrell
``But at this point in time, no further action is being contemplated"