---

The Result
Game One - Curve - 4 runs to 1
Game Two - Curve - 6 runs to 5

The Curve - Year-to-Date
26 wins and 27 losses

Brett's Position and the Batting Order
Game One
----------Did Not Play
----------Playing
----------Batting - #
Game Two
----------Did Not Start
----------Playing
----------Batting - #

-----Entered the game as a pinch hitter during the bottom of the fourth innings

-----NOTE - we could hear the Ballpark PA System through the internet radio
-----When Brett was announced as the pinch hitter, there was heaps of 'cheering-and-clapping'!!!
-----The commentator mentioned that Brett is a fan favourite here for what he has done for the Curve

Brett's at-bats
First plate appearance
Bottom of the fourth innings in a seven innings game
The Curve are trailing two runs to four
The bases are loaded!!!
Two down!!!
Righthanded pitcher
Swing and a miss - "but now there is a late foul ball called by the home plate umpire"
Ball - off speed - down and away
Ball - fast ball - low
"Here comes the 2ball-1strike pitch ... and it is smoked through the hole on the righthand side!!! ... the runner from third base comes in to score and here comes the runner from second base and he also comes in to score!!! ... the Curve have tied the game on Brett Roneberg's two-out, two RBI single!!! ... what a way to come back into the lineup!!! - Welcome Back, Brett!!!"
Single to rightfield - 2 x RBI
Left stranded at the end of the innings

At the end of the Game
1 hit from 1 at-bat - single, 2 x runs batted in

Heard during the game

(01) During the 'Starting Lineups' section of the Curve Pre-Game Show, the commentator said - "Brett Roneberg was taken off the Curve Disabled List last Wednesday ... however, he is again not in the starting lineup for the first game here tonight ... we will keep an eye on what is going on with Brett ... he had been on the 'DL' with a sprained wrist"

(02) As he was 'setting the defense' during the top of the first innings in the second game, the commentator said - "There is still no sign of Brett Roneberg who hasn't played since coming off the Disabled List last Wednesday"

Email from Brett

Before the Game
Well, I am 99% sure I am going to start today against the Reading Phillies when righthander Landon Jacobson is on the mound the first game of the double header
Hope I can just have three good at-bats and go from there!

Game Reports

Game One

Kip Bouknight beat the winningest pitcher in Curve history, Landon Jacobsen, going the distance in a 4-1 Altoona win in game one

Bouknight (5-2) allowed just one earned run on six hits to earn his fifth victory of the season

Reading did strike first in the ballgame, plating their lone run in the second inning
Randy Ruiz continued to terrorize his former team by leading off with a double to right field
Ruiz advanced to third on a ground-out by Greg Jacobs and scored on a sacrifice fly to center field by Juan Tejeda as the R-Phils took a 1-0 lead

The Curve tied the ballgame in the third inning
Brandon Chaves led off the inning with a base hit, stole second and was sacrificed to third by Bouknight
He scored from there to tie the game, 1-1, on a ground-out from Jason Bowers

The game remained in a 1-1 tie until the sixth inning when the Curve broke through against Jacobsen with two outs
Alex Fernandez started the rally with a single and scored on an eventual game-winning double from Steven Pearce
Neil Walker followed Pearce's double with a single back up the middle and the Curve led 3-1
Following a walk to Adam Boeve, Brian Peterson capped the scoring with a single that scored Walker

Jacobsen (5-3) went the distance for the R-Phils and took the loss

Game Two

Played in stark contrast to game one, the Curve again stormed from behind to erase a 4-0 Reading lead and win game two, 6-5

Like in Friday's series opener, the Curve comeback was fueled by a four-run inning

Trailing 4-0 in the fourth inning, Andrew McCutchen led off with a single
Alex Fernandez followed with a single to put two aboard for Steven Pearce
Pearce, the hero of game one, again responded, this time with a ringing-double off the wall in left-center field scoring both runners to cut the lead to 4-2
Following an Adam Boeve strikeout, Brian Peterson singled and Taber Lee walked to load the bases
The R-Phils went to the bullpen for J.J. Trujillo and the Curve went to the bench for Brett Roneberg who hadn't appeared due to injury since May 22nd
Roneberg cracked a single through the right side of the Reading infield to score both Pearce and Peterson and the game was tied, 4-4

Reading went back ahead with a lone run in the top of the fifth inning on a Chris Coste single that scored Brian Burgamy

Altoona again had the answer in the bottom of the inning
Trujillo stayed in the game and with two outs gave up back-to-back singles to Fernandez and Pearce
Boeve followed with a double to score Fernandez and tie the game, 5-5
Trujillo intentionally walked Brian Peterson and departed the ballgame
Left-hander Chris Key came on and got the second out of the inning, but Taber Lee followed with the game-winning single through the hole on the right side of the infield for a score of 6-5

Matt Peterson worked a scoreless two innings in the sixth and seventh to earn his ninth save of the season

Reading had built their lead with four earned runs off of Curve starter Alay Soler, including a controversial solo homerun to left field in the second inning
Curve Manager Tim Leiper was ejected on the play, contending that the home run was a foul-ball

Justin Vaclavik (2-4) was in the ballgame as the Curve overtook the R-Phils and earned his second win of the season

Trujillo (0-1) was hit with the loss for Reading

The Curve will look for the series sweep in the series-finale Sunday night at 6.05pm
LHP Josh Shortslef (0-6, 3.81) will start for the Curve
The Phillies starter is TBA

The big inning was once again the downfall of the Reading Phillies
The Altoona Curve snapped a 1-1 tie with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to defeat the Phillies 4-1 in game one of an Eastern League doubleheader Saturday night at Blair County Ballpark

The Phillies (25-29) took a 1-0 lead in the second on a sacrifice fly by Juan Tejeda

The Curve (25-27) tied it in the third on an RBI grounder by Jason Bowers

Kip Bouknight and Landon Jacobsen both settled in to keep it a 1-1 game

But with two out and the bases empty in the sixth, the Curve came alive against their former teammate Jacobsen
Alex Fernandez singled and scored the go-ahead run on a double to center by Steven Pearce
Neil Walker followed with an RBI single
Walker stole second and scored on a single by Brian Peterson

Bouknight (5-2) pitched a complete-game, allowing six hits and a walk in his seven innings
He struck out two

Jacobsen (5-3) also went the distance for the Phillies
He was charged with the four runs on nine hits

Greg Jacobs had two hits for the Phillies and Jesus Merchan extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a first-inning single

The R-Phils have dropped eight of their last 10 games while the Curve are 6-1 in their last seven games

Kip Bouknight pitched a six-hitter for his first complete game of the season as host Altoona topped Reading, 4-1, in the opener of Saturday's doubleheader

Bouknight (5-2) gave up one run, walked one and struck out two to win for the first time since May 12
The 28-year-old right-hander's last complete game came on June 7, 2003, when he was with Double-A Tulsa

With the game tied, 1-1, the Curve (25-27) erupted for three runs with two outs in the bottom of the sixth
Alex Fernandez started the rally with a single to left field before racing home on Steven Pearce's double
Pearce moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Neil Walker, who stole second and came home on Brian Peterson's base hit

Landon Jacobsen (5-3) allowed four runs on nine hits, fanning one and walking one over six frames against his former team
It was his first complete game in 12 starts for the Phillies (25-29)

Juan Tejeda drove in Reading's only run with a sacrifice fly in the second

Following the same script was bad news for the Reading Phillies Saturday night in game two of an Eastern League doubleheader against the Altoona Curve at Blair County Ballpark
Take an early lead, miss chances to bust the game open and then watch the Curve come back late happened to the R-Phils for the third straight game
Reading (25-30) jumped out to a 4-0 lead but could not hang on as the Curve (26-27) rallied for a 6-5 win to sweep the twinbill

The Phillies stranded seven runners in the nightcap, six of them in scoring position

The Curve scored four in the fourth to tie the game

After Chris Coste put the Phillies back in front with an RBI single in the fifth, Altoona plated two in the bottom of the inning
Adam Boeve tied the game with a double and Taber Lee knocked in the go-ahead run with a two-out single

Justin Vaclavik (2-4) got the win in relief

J.J Trujillo (0-1) took the loss in his second appearance for Reading

Matt Peterson allowed two hits and two walks in two innings but kept the Phillies off the board for his ninth save

Brian Burgamy led the Phillies with three hits, a steal and two runs scored

Matt Padgett had a homer and two RBI and Jesus Merchan was 2-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to 13 games

Reading has dropped four straight games and nine of its last 11

After enduring a 10-game losing streak, Altoona has bounced back to win seven of eight

Taber Lee singled in the go-ahead run in the fifth inning as host Altoona edged Reading, 6-5, to sweep Saturday's doubleheader

The Curve (26-27) trailed 5-4, in the fifth, but Adam Boeve cracked an RBI double off reliever J.J. Trujillo (0-1)
After Chris Key came in, Lee plated Boeve with a base hit to right field

Altoona reliever Justin Vaclavik (2-4) allowed one run on three hits with one strikeout in the fifth before Matt Peterson gave up two hits over two scoreless frames for his ninth save

Starter Alay Soler surrendered four runs on seven hits in four innings

Steven Pearce went 2-for-3 with a two-run double and Brett Roneberg delivered a two-run single for the Curve, who won the opener, 4-1

Phillies starter Ryan Cameron gave up four runs on six hits and one walk with four strikeouts in 3-2/3 frames

Brian Burgamy went 3-for-4 and Matt Padgett clubbed a solo shot, his fifth of the season, in the second for Reading (25-30)

Tim Leiper threw a bat out of the dugout after getting ejected, the Curve offense refused to quit and Matt Peterson once again showed off his quirky pickoff move that might be the best in the history of the game
It all made for quite an entertaining Saturday night at Blair County Ballpark

‘‘You guys are the best team I’ve ever had’’ Leiper joked in the clubhouse afterward before pausing and adding the punch line of ‘‘this year’’

It’s been quite a roller coaster ride for the Curve, who a week ago were in the midst of a 10-game losing streak but are now playing their best ball of the season
They’ve won seven of their past eight games after sweeping Reading in a doubleheader Saturday, 4-1 and 6-5, before 5,901 fans at BCB

‘‘It’s coming around now’’ said outfielder Andrew McCutchen, who went 5-for-7 in the doubleheader
‘‘It feels great
It just lets us know and lets everybody else know that we don’t give up regardless of what we go through
We know we have a good team’’

The Curve’s hopes for a sweep appeared dim as they trailed 4-0 in the fourth inning of game two

But just like they did Friday night, rallying from a 5-0 deficit to win, the hitters stormed back
Steven Pearce, who had the go-ahead hit late in game one, doubled home two runs to ignite Altoona’s rally in the fourth inning
Pinch-hitter Brett Roneberg, sidelined by a wrist injury and batting for the first time since May 18, delivered a bases-loaded two-run single to even the game at 4-4

Reading scored in the fifth off reliever Justin Vaclavik, but the Curve had another answer in their half of the inning
Adam Boeve doubled in Alex Fernandez to tie it, then Taber Lee’s rocket single ate up second baseman Jesus Merchan and scored Boeve with the game winner

The R-Phils threatened in the sixth before Peterson’s incredible fake-to-third, throw-to-first move helped him escape the jam
That pickoff move almost never works for pitchers, but Peterson has mastered it and has recorded at least a dozen outs with it during his Curve tenure
‘‘I’m pretty confident in it’’ Peterson said
‘‘Sometimes it gets close to being a balk; that’s why I get nervous
But it’s gotten me out of a lot of jams, and that’s why I’m going to keep using it’’
Asked if he thinks he’s the best ever at that move, Peterson said ‘‘I don’t know; I haven’t seen all of them
But I think I have a good one’’

Peterson worked around a leadoff double in the seventh to earn his ninth save

Vaclavik (2-4) picked up the win, while J.J. Trujillo (0-1) lost in relief for Reading

‘‘It’s very impressive’’ McCutchen said of the team’s comebacks the past two days
‘‘We still have a whole ballgame to play, down 4-0
It was still early in the game, we still had a chance to keep swinging the bat and keep playing
The game wasn’t over’’

That kind of confidence, the players say, was there during the 10-game losing streak, but the team didn’t catch many breaks
Now it seems most of the breaks are going the Curve’s way

‘‘Everybody just seems a little more together, and there’s a belief we can do whatever we need to do’’ Leiper said

One call went against the Curve and led to Leiper getting ejected in the second inning
Matt Padgett lofted a home run to left that Leiper thought was foul - replays showed it to be fair - and Leiper was ejected for arguing
On his way to the clubhouse, the manager tossed a bat out onto the field
‘‘I overreacted’’ Leiper said afterward

The Curve scored three runs in the sixth inning to break open a tie game and win the opener
Fernandez singled with two outs to ignite the outburst, then Pearce doubled to deep center for the go-ahead run
Neil Walker and Brian Peterson added RBI singles later in the frame for insurance

Kip Bouknight (5-2) tossed a complete game for the win, giving up a run on six hits with two strikeouts and a walk

Former Curve pitcher Landon Jacobsen (5-3) gave up four runs in six innings for the loss

Strangely, Bouknight would have given way to Peterson in the seventh had the score remained 2-1, but the two insurance runs kept the starter on the mound and kept Peterson in line to pitch game two

‘‘I’ve never been on a team that’s lost 10 in a row, but the whole time we lost, we knew we were good and knew we could play’’ Bouknight said
‘‘We just had to start doing the little things’’

One of those little things, he added, was Fernandez’s two-out single that gave Pearce a chance to drive in the go-ahead run

Another little thing occurred in the third inning when Brandon Chaves stole second base, giving Bouknight a chance to bunt him to third
Chaves scored on Jason Bowers’ groundout to tie at 1-1

‘‘Those little things that we do will add up’’ Bouknight said

Notes
Curve pitching coach Ray Searage said Friday night that starting pitcher Yoslan Herrera may skip his next turn in the rotation so he can rest his arm

The player Curve manager Tim Leiper referred to as the best player in the Eastern League for three months last season is set to return to action
Vic Buttler can’t wait
‘‘I’m anxious, man’’ he said Thursday
‘‘I just want to play some ball’’

Buttler headed to Bradenton, Fla., on Friday and will get at-bats with the rookie Gulf Coast League Pirates for about a week, then return to the Curve

‘‘Whatever it takes’’ Buttler said
‘‘I want to get back to playing
I miss it’’

‘‘Without him in the lineup,’’ Leiper said, ‘‘we’re not as good a team
We get him healthy and playing, that’s a huge addition for us’’

Buttler hit .229 in 13 games before the injury, but he batted .292 for Leiper’s squad last year to earn a spot on the EL postseason All-Star team

He’s steady in the outfield, too
In his seven seasons with the Pirates, Buttler has never committed more than three errors

‘‘He’s a heck of a ballplayer, he really is’’ Leiper said
‘‘It’s just going to be good to have him back’’

Buttler batted leadoff most of last season, though Leiper said he hasn’t decided if he will hit at the top of the order when he returns

Buttler began running recently but added his hamstring is still sore at times
‘‘I definitely won’t step back on the field until I’m 100 percent’’ he said
‘‘I’m a runner
I need my legs
I don’t want to go out there and re-aggravate it’’

When Buttler hurt his hamstring, he initially thought he would be back within a week or two
‘‘I didn’t expect to be out this long at all’’ he said

He’s eagerly awaiting his first live action
‘‘When I step on a field’’ Buttler said ‘‘I’m definitely going to be happy’’