Walker impresses in playoff debut

Neil Walker was added to Altoona’s roster last month to experience a playoff chase and help the Curve in the post-season
In the first three games of the Curve’s first-round series against Akron, Walker has already shown that he can handle the pressures of post-season baseball, tying for the league-lead in RBI’s and batting .417 (...Brett is also batting at 0.417...)

The 20-year old catcher is one of only two Curve players that has recorded at least one hit in all three playoff games so far (...and Brett is the other one!!!...)

Also, he has driven in four runs, tied for the most among E.L. hitters in the post-season (...Brett has three runs-driven-in...)

Walker had struggled since being called up to Altoona from Lynchburg (A), batting just .161 in ten games with three RBI’s
The native of Gibsonia, Pa. had homered twice in his first three games, but was then placed on the team’s disabled list for a week with a viral infection

In Game One against the Aeros, Walker was 2-for-5 with three RBI and had a triple and a double in the ninth inning as the Curve fought back from an eleven-run deficit
After reaching base twice in Altoona’s shutout loss in Game Two, Walker drove in an insurance run for the Curve in Game Three, plating Pedro Powell in the seventh inning with his second hit of the ball game

Walker and the Curve look to even the best-of-five-games series against Akron tonight at Blair County Ballpark at 7.05pm

The Result
Curve - 3 runs to 1

The Playoffs
Curve - 2 won and 2 lost
Aeros - 2 won and 2 lost

Brett's Position and the Batting Order
Playing - Leftfield
Batting - #4
----------Replaced by a pinch runner after picking a walk in his fourth at-bat in the bottom of the eighth innings

At the end of the Game
2 hits from 3 at-bats - single, double, 1 x run-driven-in, 1 x run scored, 1 x walk

Brett's at-bats
First at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Runners at first and third base - one down
Ball
"Roneberg gets onto that pitch!!! ...... it's into rightfield and the runner is coming in to score and the other runner from first base is safely into third base as well ...... Brett has driven in the first run of the game and the Curve have an early lead here in Game Four of these playoffs!!! ...... that was a nice piece of hitting by Brett as the Aeros' first-baseman was holding the runner on and Brett realised this and put it through the gap to drive in the run"
Single to rightfield - 1 x RBI
Advanced to third base on an infield hit plus an error
Left stranded at the end of the innings
Second at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Bases empty - one down
Ball
Called strike - on the outside corner
Ball
Foul ball - breaking ball - "and Roneberg laced that down the rightfield line but it's foul"
"That pitch is hit very hard into the gap at left-centrefield ...... but the fielder was positioned well off the line and he was able to get across and make the catch"
Fly out to left-centrefield
Third at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Called strike
Ball - outside
Ball - high
Ball - low
"Brett rips that ball inside the first base bag and down the rightfield line and he will have extra bases!!! ...... he is rounding first base and is into second base with a double!!! ...... and the Curve have a runner in scoring position to lead off the sixth inning and they would be looking to extend their two runs to nil lead"
Double to rightfield
Scored on a hit
Fourth at-bat
Righthanded pitcher
Called strike
Ball - low
Ball
Foul ball - back
Ball - down and in
"Here comes the '3ball-2strike' pitch ...... and it's upstairs and Brett picks a walk to lead off the bottom of the eighth innings and the Curve would be looking for an insurance run here"
Walk
Replaced by a pinch runner

Heard during the Game

(#01) As Brett came in for his first at-bat, the commentator mentioned - "Brett had a tremendous finish to the regular season ..... he really 'tore things up!!!'...... in his final thirty-four games, he went 42-from-114 for an average of 0.368 over that time"
He also said - "Brett finished the season with a batting average of 0.303 and that was second best in the entire Eastern League ...... plus he had a 0.379 on-base-percentage, which was fifth best in the League"

(#02) During Brett's second at-bat, the commentator said - "Brett has been bothered now for a while with a foot-or-ankle injury ...... apparently the Curve trainer has said it should have a cast on it ...... Brett wants to play winter ball in Venezuela ...... the time between the finish of the season here and the start of winter ball is not very long so I am not sure what he is going to do"
He then continued - "You wouldn't think there was anything wrong with him the way he has been playing in this playoff series ...... he has been 'tearing-it-up' and coming in to tonight's game he was 5-from-12 for an average of 0.417, plus he already has an RBI single in this game"

(#03) Following Brett's hit in his third at-bat, the commentator said - "Brett has hit safely in all four playoff games and he now has two hits in this ballgame ...... so far in the playoffs he is batting 7-from-15 with a home run and two doubles ...... and that is a batting average of 0.467"

Playoff Statistics "Series-to-Date"
Games/Innings played
-------------------#1 - complete game
-------------------#2 - 5.5 innings
-------------------#3 - 8 innings
-------------------#4 - 8 innings
------16 x plate appearances
------15 x at-bats
------7 x hits
------------4 x singles
------------2 x doubles
------------1 x home run
------4 x runs-driven-in
------4 x runs scored
------1 x walk
------2 x strike outs
------2 x fly outs
------4 x ground outs
Batting average - 0.467
Slugging average - 0.800
On base percentage - 0.500

Email from Brett

During the Pre-Game Show before today's game, the commentators interviewed the Curve Manager, Tim Leiper ...... he was asked about Brett's first at-bat in yesterday's game in which something appeared to happen as he struck the ball ...... Tim Leiper said - "We were quite concerned about him ...... the bat broke and the barrel somehow struck him in the back of the head ...... he was quite woozy, and it was 'very fortunate' in a way that a bank of lights at Blair County Ballpark went out for around twenty minutes and this gave him time to recover ...... he was glassy eyed and would have had to come out of the game if it wasn't for this delay ...... we had the doctor look at him and he said he was okay to continue in the game ...... and it's good he did, because he helped the team out a lot after that, including his home run"

Brett had sent the following note overnight
"Yesterday in my first at-bat you heard me go down
I broke my bat and the barrel hit me in the back of the head
Everyone said they had never seen that before
I hit me so hard I had blurry vision for a few mins and I got so dizzy I almost threw up in the dugout!!
I was about to be taken out of the game but I said I am okay
But I was dizzy for about twenty minutes before everything got better
I was okay toward the end of the game as you may have heard cause I did pretty well!!
I am fine now by the way - no headache anymore!!"

Another close one tonight!!
Right now we are getting ready to go to Akron for the last game
Should be fun!!
Hopefully we can come away with a win!!

Game Reports

The Curve’s pitching and defense once again took center stage on Saturday night, as the Curve tied their best-of-five series with the Aeros at two games apiece with a 3-1 victory at Blair County Ballpark

The Curve allowed twenty-three runs in the first ten innings of the series but have surrendered just three runs in the last twenty-four innings heading into the deciding Game Five on Sunday night in Akron at 7.05pm

The Curve wasted little time getting the lead in Saturday’s game, scoring two runs in their first at-bat
Altoona’s offense was aided by Akron’s two defensive errors in the frame, including a misplayed ground ball off the bat of Simon Pond that allowed Andrew McCutchen to score from third base
Brian Bixler started the inning with a one-out double and advanced to third when Akron shortstop Ivan Ochoa let McCutchen’s grounder go underneath his glove
Brett Roneberg drove in the first run of the game with a single to right field, his first of two hits on the night
Roneberg finished 2-for-3 and is the only Curve player with at least one hit in all four playoff games

Wardell Starling started for the Curve and dominated the Aeros’ bats with one run allowed on just three hits in 6-1/3 innings of work

The Aeros scored their only run of the contest in the seventh inning after a leadoff walk by Ryan Goleski and a single by Ryan Mulhern put runners at the corners with nobody out
Brad Snyder then drove in Goleski with an RBI groundout, and after a walk by Brian Barton, Blaine Neal came on in relief of Starling, who left to a standing ovation

Neal retired the final two batters and went on to earn the save with 2-2/3 shutout innings pitched

Aeros’ starter Jensen Lewis lasted 5-1/3 innings and allowed two earned runs on five hits with five strikeouts to get the loss

The home team is now 4-0 in the series so far

The two teams will meet in a fifth and deciding game in Akron on Sunday night for the right to advance to the Eastern League Championship Series against the Portland Sea Dogs (AA/Red Sox)
Nerio Rodriguez will start for Altoona against a yet-to-be-named pitcher for the Aeros

Should the Curve win and advance, the first game of the E.L. Championship Series will be on Tuesday at Blair County Ballpark

Wardell Starling pitched 6-1/3 solid innings as Altoona beat visiting Akron, 3-1, on Saturday to force a decisive fifth game in their Eastern League playoff series

Starling (1-0) allowed a run on three hits and three walks with five strikeouts

Blaine Neal yielded two hits and struck out one over the final 2-2/3 frames for his first postseason save as the Curve continued their comeback after dropping the first two games by a combined score of 24-10

Brett Roneberg's RBI single highlighted a two-run first inning for Altoona

Simon Pond delivered an RBI single in the sixth to give the Curve a 3-0 lead

Brad Snyder's run-scoring groundout in the seventh got the Aeros on the board

Ryan Mulhern went 3-for-4 with a double for Akron

Aeros starter Jensen Lewis (0-1) surrendered three runs - two earned - on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts over 5-1/3 innings

Akron hosts Game Five at 7.05pm on Sunday

Curve starting pitcher Wardell Starling settled down in his seat at Uno Chicago Grill on Saturday afternoon, savoring a pre-game meal before he was scheduled to take the mound for Game Four of the EL Divisional Series
He watched the Penn State-Notre Dame football game on television, but his mind was on another game to be played later in the night - the Texas-Ohio State clash
‘‘I’m rooting for Texas to win this one big, so they can be No 1 in the country again’’ Starling said after the Curve game, as the Longhorns were still locked in battle

Starling has grown accustomed to playing and winning big games, and he showcased that experience when he pitched Altoona to a 3-1 victory over Akron before 3,472 fans at Blair County Ballpark

The Curve staved off elimination for the second night in a row

‘‘The beauty of it is that we get a chance to, three days on the row, get to play with the season on the line’’ Altoona manager Tim Leiper said
‘‘Even being down, 2-0, we didn’t panic, and we came out here and we played strong’’

The Curve have Starling to thank for still being alive
As a 12-year-old, he propelled his Spring (TX) team to the championship game of the 1995 Little League World Series
He later starred on an Elkins High School team that was crowned national champions in 2002

Having accomplished all that in his youth, Starling (1-0) felt little nerves being on the mound for Saturday night’s must-win contest
‘‘It’s good for me to have been in that situation in the past’’ he said
‘‘It makes it easy for me now to go out there and do the good job that I have to do
Just a normal day
I just took it as a normal start’’

Starling worked briskly all night and did not face more than four hitters in each of the first six innings
He finished with a line of one run allowed in 6-1/3 innings
Starling allowed three hits and three walks, while striking out five

‘‘I felt pretty good because I was getting ahead of batters’’ Starling said ‘‘and, you know, keeping them uncomfortable, working the plate in and out. That’s what helped me out a lot’’

Holding a 3-0 lead, Starling started to labor in the seventh inning
With no outs, he surrendered a run-scoring groundout and then walked his next batter

That prompted Leiper to bring in reliever Blaine Neal

Starling received a rousing ovation from the crowd and doffed his hat as he walked off the field

‘‘It’s always nice when it seems like you’re always in the dugout or hitting’’ outfielder Brett Roneberg said about Starling’s quick innings
‘‘When he goes one, two, three with every guy, pounding strike one in the zone, it’s what you want on defense’’

The Curve grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first inning, thanks to a couple of gifts from Akron
With one out, Brian Bixler doubled and advanced to third base on an error by shortstop Ivan Ochoa
He then scored when Roneberg yanked a grounder into right field
Simon Pond rolled a routine grounder to first baseman Ryan Mulhern, but Mulhern let the ball slip between his legs, allowing the second Curve run to score

‘‘We had the lead from the get-go and we never let it go’’ Roneberg said
‘‘It’s nice, especially when you’re playing when you can’t afford to lose
It’s nice to get any early lead to give you that little bit of a buffer, in case something bad happens and they score one or two in an inning’’

Altoona added an insurance run in the sixth inning on Pond’s RBI single

Lewis (0-1) gave up three runs in 5-1/3 innings
The right-hander allowed five hits and two walks and struck out five

Blaine Neal worked the last 2-2/3 innings for his first save of the postseason

The home crowd gave Neal a standing ovation when he reached a two-strike count on his last batter and exploded in cheers when he got the hitter to fly out to right
‘‘It’s always good to have the crowd behind you’’ Neal said
‘‘It’s better than sitting there on the road knowing they’re cheering for the batter’’

Around the Curve
Players and fans observed a moment of silence before the game to honor the memory of Marty Bennetti, director of sales of Furrer Beverage Company Inc
Bennetti, 44, of Altoona, died Friday afternoon in a motorcycling accident
If the Curve win tonight, Championship tickets can be purchased by calling 1-877-99-CURVE or by visiting altoonacurve.com
Game One and Two would be at BCB Tuesday and Wednesday at 6.35pm

Who woulda thunk it?
After losing the first two playoff games in Akron by a combined score of 24-10, even the most die-hard Curve fan couldn’t have been optimistic as the club came home facing a do-or-die situation

But, surprise, surprise

The Curve got great starting pitching from Landon Jacobsen and Wardell Starling on successive nights at Blair County Ballpark, won twice and now go back to Akron today for the winner-take-all fifth game and the right to represent the Southern Division in the Eastern League’s championship series

Simon Pond, who has been around the block a time or two, said he wasn’t ready to toss in the towel after Thursday’s 12-0 pounding at Akron
‘‘We worked hard this whole season’’ Pond said Saturday after the Curve tied the series with a 3-1 victory at BCB
‘‘I was thinking we had to just keep competing and playing hard because that’s what we always do
You just have to compete hard with every opportunity you have, and we’ve done that
Now we’re looking at a 2-2 series’’

Pond, who was among the EL leaders in RBIs this season, did his part in the two Altoona wins
He had a single and scored a run in Friday’s 4-1 win
On Saturday, he reached base three times and knocked in a pair of runs to spark a 3-1 victory

Curve manager Tim Leiper was quick to credit his club’s resiliency in getting the series even
‘‘These guys knew what they were up against, and to play two ballgames like that, with everything on the line, shows what kind of character this club has’’ Leiper said
‘‘We’ve been doing it all year, and now we have a chance
Game Five in Akron, and that’s all you can ask’’

Incredibly, the Curve and Aeros have played twenty-eight times this season, splitting twenty-four regular-season match-ups and now splitting four playoff games
You can’t get any closer than that

‘‘How many times in your life do you get to do this?’’ Leiper asked
‘‘I think it’s great
This is something you dream about when you’re a kid
I like our guys
They never panic, and always think they can win
Being down 2-0, we didn’t panic, and came back here and played good ball’’

Ray Sadler, another Curve veteran, agreed
‘‘Keep playing hard, that’s all I was thinking’’ Sadler said after going 0-2 at Akron
‘‘Never let your guard down
Yeh, they came out and put twenty-four runs on us in two games, but we were right there with them
We played the last two games here hard, and came out on top
Now we’re 2-2, and have one more game’’

Sadler smacked a team-best fifteen home runs during the regular season and cracked a two-run blast to give Altoona a 2-0 lead on Friday

The Curve have had their ups and downs all season
Even though they were either in first or second place all year, they hit some bumps in the road during the final weeks of the season
Nonetheless, they’ve put themselves into position to win the division and advance to the finals next week

So, it’s on to Akron today for the twenty-ninth - and final - meeting with the Aeros

‘‘I think the odds in Las Vegas are still a pick-em’’ Leiper said, laughing

Altoona (Double-A, 75-65) won, 3-1, at home against Akron (Indians) in the fourth game of a five-game playoff series

Left fielder Brett Roneberg had two hits and drove in a run

First baseman Simon Pond finished 1-for-3 with two RBI

Right hander Wardell Starling (1-0) allowed one run on three hits in 6-1/3 innings pitched for the win
He struck out five and walked three

The Curve will travel to Akron today for Game Five, which is scheduled for 7.05pm

For the second consecutive night, the Altoona Curve staved off Eastern League playoff elimination with the help of solid starting pitching

Also for the second time, the Aeros played flat

Altoona took an early lead and held on for a 3-1 win Saturday

The outcome tied the best-of-five Eastern League Southern Division Series at 2-2
The deciding Game Five will be Sunday at 7.05pm back at Canal Park

While it might appear the series momentum is on Altoona's side, Aeros manager Tim Bogar said he did not believe that
``I disagree'' he said
``We're going home to our park
They have to prove they can beat us there
Until they do, the momentum is still with us''

Each team's victories have come on home turf, as the Aeros won the first two at Canal Park by pounding out twelve runs both on Wednesday and Thursday
The Curve countered with two close games Friday and Saturday in holding Akron to a combined two runs over eighteen innings

``We didn't score many runs, but tonight we hit the ball hard - just right at guys'' Bogar said
``We swung the bats well, but we lined out six times''

First baseman Ryan Mulhern, who had three of the Aeros' five hits, said the game was strange
``It was almost comical'' he said
``Everyone was hitting, the ball just went right at Altoona's gloves
Because of that, we just couldn't get anything going
But if we continue to keep swinging well, sooner or later those balls are going to drop in''

Akron's dormant offense wasn't the only culprit Saturday, as the team's defense committed two errors that produced an unearned run
Altoona jumped out to a two-run lead in the bottom of the first inning, thanks in large part to errors by shortstop Ivan Ochoa and Mulhern

Despite the damage, Aeros pitching coach Scott Radinsky managed to settle down starting pitcher Jensen Lewis, and the right-hander rebounded to strike out the next two batters to get out of the jam

Curve starter Wardell Starling stopped the Aeros in order in four of the 6-1/3 innings he pitched, and the Curve offense added an insurance run in the sixth on Simon Pond's RBI single that gave them a 3-0 lead

But as his pitch count hit the 80s, Starling became less effective as he entered the seventh inning
Ryan Goleski led off the inning with a walk, Mulhern followed with a single and Brad Snyder's ground out broke up Starling's shutout bid and put the Aeros on the board

That was all the offense the Aeros could muster, as Blaine Neal relieved Starling with 2-2/3 scoreless innings for the save

Barton's back
Brian Barton made Aeros fans take notice from the moment he joined the team July 20 to fill in for Trevor Crowe after he went down with a left ankle sprain
While Barton has gone through a quiet stretch lately, he hit a grand slam in Thursday's in Game Two of the series to help the Aeros get a dominating 12-0 shutout
``He was hot early when he first got here'' Bogar said
``Then he started to struggle a little bit
Now, he seems like he's getting back to it''
In 114 games between Class-A Kinston and Akron, the undrafted Barton batted .323 with 41 stolen bases, 19 home runs, 52 walks, 83 RBI and 88 runs scored

Some competition
Aeros left fielder Ryan Goleski would be the top candidate to win the Indians' Minor League Batter of the Year award if it weren't for Kevin Kouzmanoff
In 125 games between Kinston and Akron, Goleski batted .306 with 31 doubles, 27 home runs and 106 RBI
Splitting the season between Akron and Buffalo, Kouzmanoff hit .379 with 28 doubles, 22 home runs and 75 RBI
``Ryan's had one of the bigger turnarounds in the system this year'' Indians director of player development John Farrell said

Up next
Altoona and Akron head back to Akron with the series tied 2-2 for a 7.05pm game Sunday at Canal Park
Right-hander Ronald ``Bear'' Bay (7-8, 4.33 ERA) will start for Akron