The Result
Phillies - 7 runs to 6

The Curve - Year-to-Date
1 win and 3 losses

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

------Brett did not start the game
------Entered as a pinch hitter for the pitcher during the bottom of the seventh innings with two out
------He then stayed in the game and played first base
------Replaced in a double switch during the top of the ninth innings with two outs

Brett's at-bats

First plate appearance
Lefthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - two down
Called strike - curve ball - on the inside corner
Ball - change up - inside
Swing and a miss - curve ball - and the runner stole to second base on this pitch
Ball - slider - high
"Roneberg drives that back up the middle and into centrefield for a hit ... the runner is rounding third base and scores easily without a throw ... and Roneberg has his first run batted in for the season ... that was a great piece of two out clutch hitting by Brett especially as he has just entered the game as a pinch hitter"
Single to centrefield - 1 x RBI
Advanced to second base on a walk
Advanced to third base on another walk
Scored on a hit
Second plate appearance
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - two down
Called strike - fast ball - on the outside corner
Ball - fast ball - outside
"That ball is popped up into shallow centrefield and the shortstop is coming around and he takes the catch to end the innings"
Pop up to shortstop - F6

At the end of the Game
1 hit from 2 at-bats - single, 1 x run batted in, 1 x run scored

Heard during the game

(01) As Brett entered the game as a pinch hitter, the commentator said - "Brett Roneberg is now at the plate and he is a tremendous hitter ... Brett is a lefthander and he is facing a lefty here but he doesn't seem to have any problems in that respect ... he knows how to play the game ... over the years he has punished Reading Phillies pitching no matter which team he has been playing for"

(02) When he was at first base following his hit, the commentator mentioned - "Brett is a sneaky base stealer and has one stolen base so far this year ... he is not super fast but he is a very smart baserunner and the Phillies would do well to keep an eye on him"

Email from Brett

Game Reports

Inclement weather, inopportune fielding miscues, and a two-run homer off the bat of Juan Tejeda were enough to dampen the Curve’s home opener, as they fell to Reading 7-6 on Thursday

The Curve lost their home opener for the first time in franchise history thanks in large part to three fielding errors, the last of which was the most costly
With Altoona in front 5-4 in the top of the eighth inning, a two-out bobble by Javier Guzman allowed Joey Hammond to score the tying run for Reading, and also led to the fatal two-run blow by Tejada one batter later, as he sent an offering from Curve reliever Romulo Sanchez over the left field wall for a 7-5 lead

Reading was in front for most of the night after scoring in four successive frames from the third through the sixth

However, for a few moments, the assembled crowd of 4,555 had reason to smile

Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the seventh, the Curve got three runs and a glimpse of what they hope their future holds as they stormed from behind to take a 5-4 lead
With two outs and empty bases, Curve shortstop Brandon Chaves reached on a throwing error by Reading third baseman Mike Costanzo
The miscue opened the floodgates
Chaves stole second base and was brought home on an RBI single by pinch-hitter Brett Roneberg to pull the Curve within one at 4-3
The base-hit also chased R-Phil starter Matt Maloney from the ballgame
Bubba Nelson came out of the Reading bullpen and issued back-to-back walks to Andrew McCutchen and Vic Buttler
That set the stage for Neil Walker who put the Curve in front with a two-run single that caromed off the leg of Nelson and into centerfield, scoring Roneberg and McCutchen

Following Tejeda’s home run that gave the lead back to Reading, the Curve crept back into it with a run in the eighth to close to 7-6

They then loaded the bases in the ninth with two outs, but Dave Parrish’s ground ball to third was fielded cleanly by Michael Costanzo who threw across to Tejada to end the ballgame in 3 hours and 31 minutes

Bubba Nelson (1-0) claimed the victory for Reading despite being charged with two runs in just a third of an inning

Ryan Cameron, who came in for the final two-thirds of an inning collected the save, his first of the season

The loss was pinned on Sanchez (0-1)

Overshadowed in the loss was another great night at the plate for Adam Boeve, who had three hits for the third consecutive ballgame

Game two of the series is slated for 6.35pm tomorrow night
Luiz Munoz will make the start for Altoona and Kyle Kendrick will oppose him for Reading

Juan Tejeda's two-run homer capped a three run eighth inning in the Reading Phillies' 7-6 win over the Altoona Curve Thursday night at Blair County Ballpark

The Curve lost their home opener for the first time in the franchise's nine year history

The Phillies (5-2) took leads of 2-0 and 4-2 but could not hold them

The Curve (1-3) scored three unearned runs in the seventh to go in front 5-4
Neil Walker's two-out, two-run single gave the Curve their only lead of the night

Reading answered with three unearned runs in the top of the eighth
With two outs and the bases empty, the Curve made a two-base error, threw a wild pitch and committed another error, allowing the Phillies to tie the game at five
Tejeda then unloaded his second homer of the year to put the R-Phils back in front

Javon Moran continued his hot start for the Phillies
He was 2-for-4 with a triple, stolen base and two runs scored
Moran has hit safely in all seven games this season

Mike Costanzo and Joey Hammond each had two hits for Reading

Bubba Nelson (1-0) picked up the win

Romulo Sanchez (0-1) was tagged with the loss

Ryan Cameron recorded the final two outs to earn his first save of the season

The Curve defense was anything but perfect, and it cost the franchise its claim to perfection in home openers

An inning after Altoona’s defense helped give away a lead, Reading’s infield nearly did the same

But the R-Phils made the plays when it counted to hang on for a 7-6 win in the Curve’s home opener Thursday night before 4,555 fans at Blair County Ballpark

Altoona had been 8-0 in home openers before Thursday’s loss

“Any time you make errors, it hurts” Curve manager Tim Leiper said
“That factored into the outcome of the game
Some breaks don’t go your way
Tonight was one of those nights”

Curve reliever Romulo Sanchez (0-1) entered the eighth inning trying to protect a 5-4 lead
He recorded two flyouts, then second baseman Javier Guzman’s throwing error put Joey Hammond on second
One batter later, Brandon Chaves mishandled a sharply hit ball, allowing Hammond to score from third
Reading took the lead for good seconds later on Juan Tejeda’s two-run homer to left

The Curve made things interesting with a run in their half of the eighth, then loaded the bases in the ninth
Vic Buttler singled to right-center and moved to third on second baseman Pete Shier’s throwing error
The Curve had runners at the corners with one out, but Alex Fernandez struck out swinging and Dave Parrish grounded out to short with the bases loaded to end the game

“We made some crucial mistakes that led to how the game turned out” Boeve said
“We never thought we were out of it”

Leiper and Boeve were upbeat afterwards, partly because the Curve’s bats showed signs of life
Altoona scored just five runs in three games against Akron in the season’s first series
Four of those runs came Wednesday, a game in which the Curve had three hits entering the ninth inning

Some of those struggles were because of the competition
Akron’s first two starters were Chuck Lofgren, who went 17-5 with a 2.32 ER in A-ball last year, and J.D. Martin, who owns a scoreless streak of 28-1/3 innings

Thursday’s pitcher, southpaw Matt Maloney, had similar credentials, and the Curve’s offense had similar results early
Maloney, making his second Double-A start after skipping high-A, held Altoona without a hit for three innings
RBI singles from Boeve and Guzman got the Curve offense going and tied the game, 2-2
Maloney allowed two earned runs in 6-2/3 innings and struck out five in a no-decision

Another encouraging sign for the Curve offense was scoring six runs despite troubles at the top of the order
Andrew McCutchen (0-for-15) and Buttler (1-for-13) are a combined 1-for-28

“I don’t look at the 0-fer” McCutchen said
“I look at my approach toward each at-bat, and the majority of my approaches have been good
Eventually, it will fall”

The Curve twice came back from down two runs to tie or go ahead
Altoona scored three runs in the seventh to erase a 4-2 deficit, grabbing a 5-4 lead on Neil Walker’s two-run single up the middle on an 0-2 pitch

“This team showed some character the way we battled” Boeve said
“We have the potential to swing the bats well and have a couple of four or five run innings”

Kip Bouknight drew the start for the Curve and escaped much damage, allowing two runs in five innings
“He was the victim of balls that missed gloves by that much” Leiper said, bringing his hands together

Reading reliever Bubba Nelson (1-0) earned the win, while Ryan Cameron picked up his first save

The Altoona Curve’s home opener on Thursday night ended one streak but continued another

The Curve’s 7-6 loss to the Reading Phillies was Altoona’s first defeat in nine home openers, but Andrew McCutchen’s struggles continued

McCutchen, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ top prospect according to Baseball America, went 0-for-4, dropping him to 0-for-15 for the season
McCutchen is confident that his slow start is more of a result of bad breaks than bad habits
“I’ve been taking good swings on the ball” he said
“Things just aren’t dropping right now
If you keep doing the same things, keep playing and staying in your game, things will come around”

The Phillies took advantage of the Curve’s sloppy defense in the seventh inning to score three unearned runs off of reliever Romulo Sanchez
Second baseman Javier Guzman’s throwing error kept the inning alive and shortstop Brandon Chaves’ error allowed the tying run to score
Juan Tejeda, who entered the game in the seventh inning, hit a two-run homer to left for a 7-5 lead

“Any time you make errors and give the other team extra outs, it hurts” Curve manager Tim Leiper said
“At the same time, a couple of those were tough ones
There are times when breaks don’t go your way and tonight was one of those”

The Curve (1-3) rallied with three runs in the seventh inning to take a 5-4 lead
Neil Walker lined an 0-2 pitch off of Bubba Nelson back up the middle, scoring Brett Roneberg and McCutchen - who had walked - for a 5-4 lead in the seventh

Walker went 2-for-4 while Adam Boeve went 3-for-5, raising his average to .529

Boeve had a chance to tie the game or possibly win it in the ninth, as he came up with Vic Buttler and Walker on base, but Boeve could only manage an infield single
Ryan Cameron got Dave Parrish to ground out with the bases loaded for his first save

Despite giving up two runs in just a third of an inning, Nelson (1-0) was credited with the win

Romulo Sanchez (0-1) took the loss, as he gave up the three unearned runs in the eighth inning

The Phillies got an unearned run in the third inning off of starter Kip Bouknight as Javon Moran scored on Greg Jacobs’ ground ball

Reading made it 2-0 in the fourth as Jason Hill doubled off the wall in left field and scored on a wild pitch by Bouknight

The Curve tied the game in the fourth with RBI singles from Boeve and Javier Guzman, but Reading went ahead with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings

Juan Tejeda's two-run homer in the eighth inning lifted visiting Reading over Altoona, 7-6, on Thursday

The Curve (1-3) were clinging to a 5-4 lead with two outs in the eighth when two costly errors and a wild pitch opened the door for the Phillies (5-2)
Joey Hammond reached first base on a throwing error by second baseman Javier Guzman, moved to third on a wild pitch by reliever Romulo Sanchez (0-1), and scored on an error by shortstop Brandon Chaves
Tejeda, who entered in the seventh as a defensive replacement, then belted a two-run shot to give Reading a 7-5 lead

Hammond, Michael Costanzo and Javon Moran each had two hits for Reading

Reading starter Matthew Maloney allowed four runs - two earned - on five hits while striking out five and walking three in 6-2/3 innings

Despite giving up two runs on three hits and retiring one batter in the seventh, Bubba Nelson (1-0) picked up the win

Ryan Cameron retired two batters in the ninth for his first save

Adam Boeve and Guzman had RBI singles in the fourth for the Curve, who lost their first home opener in nine seasons at Blair County Ballpark

Neil Walker's two-run single in the seventh gave the Curve a 5-4 lead

Boeve went 3-for-5, while Walker added two hits

Altoona starter Kip Bouknight surrendered three runs - two earned - on six hits in five innings

Sanchez yielded three unearned runs on two hits and two walks over 1-2/3 innings in the loss

They were all solid concepts
Tweak the landscaping at an already stunning ballpark and unveil the changes to the masses on a cozy mid-April night
Use ink to write the names of two intriguing prospects into a lineup card and watch the duo electrify a hearty crowd
Place some veterans around the duo and watch the group continue its success against an in-state rival
At least this isn't short-season baseball where home dates are scarce

The Altoona Curve's plans for a glamorous start to a 71-game home schedule plunged faster than a right-field rollercoaster during a 7-6 loss to Reading before an announced crowd of 4,555 Thursday at Blair County Ballpark
By the time the 3 hour, 31 minute-game ended, fewer than 400 people remained in the ballpark, including three Curve players stranded on base

"It was a long night" Curve starting pitcher Kip Bouknight said
"It was kind of a slow moving game"

Perhaps it was fitting that two slow-moving balls led to the Curve losing a home opener for the first time in their nine-year history
A seemingly non-threatening eighth that started with Curve reliever Romulo Sanchez forcing Jason Hill and Mike Costanzo to fly out turned into the decisive inning
Javier Guzman bobbled a ball hit by Joey Hammond and then sailed a throw past first baseman Brett Roneberg
Hammond advanced to third base on a wild pitch by Sanchez and scored when shortstop Brandon Chaves bobbled a ball Jesus Merchan trickled up the middle
Tejeda then sent a Sanchez inside fastball into the left-field bleachers to give the Phillies (5-2) a 7-5 lead
Left fielder Vic Buttler extended his glove over the fence and saw nothing when he peeped into his hand
Buttler then squatted on the warning track and displayed the frustration that accompanies a 1-3 start where one game hasn't been played in spring-like conditions

"April will do crazy things to you" third baseman Neil Walker said
"It's too bad we couldn't pull that one out
You can't put the blame on anyone in particular"

Walker might be the perfect example of the twists April baseball can produce
One day after he committed an error that sent a game at Akron into extra innings, he compiled a flawless performance at his new position
His included a diving catch on a foul ball Matt Padgett hit 30 feet down the third-base line during the ninth
Walker, the Pittsburgh Pirates' No. 2 prospect according to Baseball America, also recorded a hit that could have turned a dreary night into a somewhat bright one
With two outs in the seventh and the Curve trailing 4-3, Walker hit a ball off pitcher Bubba Nelson's left foot and into center field
Chaves and Roneberg scored on Walker's single to give the Curve a 5-4 lead

"It's one of those things that happens" said Walker, who went 2-for-4
"Any other day we could have held onto that lead and won 5-4
It just didn't happen"

Nice weather also didn't arrive on this night
The game-time temperature was 42 degrees
The reading represented a game-time high

The conditions spoiled some of the Curve's plans and made landscaping changes such as the red-rock Altoona Curve hillside difficult to appreciate
Flowers are also expected to be added to the left-field landscape which should add to the ballpark's aesthetic value

Despite see-your-breath cold and pestering drizzle, some spirited fans attended the game, including a group that started a "Let's Go Curve" chant with one out in the sixth inning
As the chant reverberated throughout the ballpark, Adam Boeve grounded into a double play

"I'm sure the intensity and atmosphere would have been better had we had nice weather" said Bouknight, who allowed six hits and two earned runs in five innings
"But gosh, I don't know how many fans we had, but it certainly seemed like a good number
I have been at a lot of other ballparks where had it been that kind of weather you would have been able to hear a pin drop"

Three promising arms provided Wednesday's most intriguing moment
Before the game, Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers and Curve alums Tom Gorzelanny, Matt Capps and Paul Maholm tossed out ceremonial first pitches
The trio visited Altoona less than two weeks into their own seasons
The Pirates ended a series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday and begin a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants tonight
Gorzelanny, Maholm and Capps are three of 14 former Curve players on the Pirates, current roster
In-season visits to minor-league cities by three established major-leaguers are considered as rare as ballparks with rollercoasters lurking behind an outfield wall
"I had an awesome time playing here" Maholm said
"The staff did a real good job and I will do whatever I can to help them out"

Little Riley Tryninewski from Hollidaysburg simply had to have her Dippin’ Dots and watch the Curve, and the 4-1/2-year-old girl wouldn’t take no for answer
Her parents, Josh and Jessica, knew it might be unbearably cold, rainy and borderline miserable at Blair County Ballpark, so they devised a scheme
“We tried going to Home Depot instead” Jessica said
“But the whole time we were at Home Depot, she just kept screaming, ‘Let’s go to a baseball game!’”

Usually, any day at the ballpark is better than a day anywhere else
Not Thursday
It rained all afternoon, it was windy, cold and unpleasant to be sitting outside for any reason

Regardless, a good number of fans still showed up at Blair County Ballpark for the Curve’s home opener
The paid crowd came in at 4,555, and there were probably 1,500 to 2,000 in the park

With 70 more home games left this season, it’s easy to wonder why so many people would brave the conditions Thursday
“It’s home opener, you have to” Chris Carlington of Altoona said
“Come out and freeze your butt off and root on the old Altoona Curve”

Sounds like a good enough reason
Still, this kind of weather will put any fan’s loyalty to the test

Good thing for the Curve they have enough fans like Carlington and the Tryninewski family to keep the seats filled - some of the them, at least - for a few weeks until the arrival of baseball-friendly temperatures

“Certainly the weather now is unusual” Curve manager Chuck Greenberg said
“We’ve generally had weather that’s been a little bit better than this”

The franchise’s biggest challenge early on, Greenberg added, is “to grab everybody’s attention right from the start of the season and not to view it as a short-season team”
That can be a struggle
The Curve always pile in fans during the summer months, and many of those would love to come in April and May if not for the unpredictable weather

The franchise appreciates all fans, but the ones who showed up Thursday and will continue to come out during the cold weather deserve a special pat on the back

“It says, as we see over and over again, this is a tremendous baseball town” Greenberg said

It’s a tremendous baseball town because of people like the Tryninewskis
They bundled up little Riley and their 19-month-old son, Caleb, and braved the cold in section 309
How much did Riley want to come to the game?
“A lot” she said
OK, but surely she had to be freezing, right?
“I’m not cold” she added

Curve fan David Orr, the self-described “king of the bleacher bums,” was cold
For one of the few times ever, he vacated his seat in the right field bleachers for a spot next to one of the standing heaters on the concourse

Those heaters, brought in a couple years ago, were a tremendous addition at the ballpark, and there were hundreds of fans using them to stay warm Thursday

Not Carlington, though
He sat out in the Rail Kings section with a friend, Penn State Altoona student Meghan Maxwell of Harrisburg, and explained why he decided to come to the ballpark despite cold and rainy conditions
“I’d rather be sitting here than sitting in the house doing nothing” Carlington said

That brings up one often-asked question - Just what did people in Altoona do before the Curve arrived?

Whether it’s freezing or sunny, Blair County Ballpark is always there
You can visit whenever you want, and it can’t be stressed enough how valuable of a commodity it is to this community