The Result
Curve - 5 runs to 2

The Curve - Year-to-Date
32 wins and 30 losses

Brett's Position and the Batting Order
Playing - Designated hitter
Batting - #3

Brett's at-bats
First plate appearance
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at second base - one down
Ball - outside
Ball - misses away
Foul ball - back
Ball - low
"That ball is hit out towards the Rock Cats' shortstop and it comes off his glove but he has time to gather the ball and throw on to first base for the out ... the runner at second cannot advance because the ball was hit a catchable height and he was forced to hold up"
Ground out to shortstop - 6 to 3
Second plate appearance
Righthanded pitcher
Bases empty - two down
Ball
Called strike - fast ball
Foul ball - back and off the top of the screen
Ball - misses wide
Foul ball - over to his own dugout
"Brett hits that pretty well out into right-centrefield but the fielder is able to get over to it and make the catch for the final out of the innings"
Fly out to centrefield - F8
Third plate appearance
Righthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Called strike
"Brett hits that into the hole on the rightside but the second-baseman was fielding deep and ranges to his left to gather the ball and make the first out of the innings"
Ground out to second base - 4 to 3
Fourth plate appearance
Righthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Called strike
Ball - low
Called strike
Ball - outside
Foul ball
Ball
Ball - outside
Walk
Scored on a hit - and tied the game at '2-2' in the bottom of the eighth innings

At the end of the Game
0 hit from 3 at-bats - 1 x walk, 1 x run scored

Heard during the game

(01) During the Pre-game Show, the commentators were discussing the Curve's recent 'hot streak' - they mentioned that "Brett Roneberg is beginning to hit the ball very well and since he has been back in the lineup following an injury rehab, he has again become the lynchpin of the team ... when he is hitting in the number three spot, it settles the team and allows Manager Tim Leiper to play everybody in the positions he wants as he sets the lineup card"

Email from Brett

Game Reports

Neil Walker tripled home the tying run and scored the eventual game-winner as part of a four-run eighth inning that lifted the Curve to a 5-2 win over the New Britain Rock Cats Thursday night at Blair County Ballpark

The victory - Altoona's eighth straight at home - gave the Curve a three-game series sweep of the Rock Cats to open their six-game homestand

Trailing 2-1 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, the Curve offense, which had been held in check for most of the night by New Britain starter Jesse Floyd, erupted for four runs to seize the lead
Reliever Frank Mata walked leadoff man Brett Roneberg, who then scored the tying run two batters later on Walker's triple, which was misplayed by right fielder Rashad Eldridge
The next batter, Adam Boeve, knocked in Walker with the go-ahead tally on a sacrifice fly to right
Altoona added two more runs in the frame on RBI's by Brian Peterson and Brandon Chaves

The four-run eighth helped Curve right -hander Kip Bouknight earn his team-leading seventh win of the season
Bouknight (7-2) worked eight strong innings, allowing two runs on six hits, and joined Trenton's Jeff Marquez and Erie's Dallas Trahern as the only Eastern League pitchers with more than six wins so far this season

Curve closer Matt Peterson recorded a 1-2-3 top of the ninth inning to preserve the 5-2 win and Altoona's first-ever sweep of the Rock Cats
Peterson is now 12-from-13 in save opportunities this season

J.P. Martinez (0-2), who allowed three of the Curve's four eighth-inning runs, took the loss for New Britain (31-29)

Walker's eighth-inning triple was one of his three extra-base hits in the game to add to his league-leading total in the category
The Curve third baseman and former Pirates' first round selection now has 33 extra-base hits to lead all Eastern League batters after a 3-for-4 night at the plate

Chaves also posted three extra-base hits in the contest, going 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and a triple

Steven Pearce, the league's hottest hitter entering Thursday's action with a .465 average and 21 RBI in his last 11 games, was held hitless by New Britain pitching in the game to bring an end to both his 11-game hitting streak and 18-game on-base streak

The Curve (32-30) will continue their homestand Friday night at Blair County Ballpark with the opener of a three-game set against the Connecticut Defenders (San Francisco Giants)
First pitch is set for 7.05pm
Right-hander Luis Munoz (6-3, 3.70) will take the mound for Altoona against Connecticut righty Dave McKae (1-0, 0.60)

Kip Bouknight hurled eight solid innings as Altoona defeated visiting New Britain, 5-2, on Thursday night

Bouknight (7-2) allowed two runs on six hits while striking out three and walking one in his longest outing of the season
The 28-year-old right-hander, who has won his last three starts, pitched a seven-inning complete game against Reading on June 2 and lasted 7-1/3 innings on May 28 against Bowie

Matt Peterson pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 12th save

Neil Walker roped an RBI triple and scored the go-ahead run on Adam Boeve's sacrifice fly in a four-run eighth for Altoona (32-30)
Alex Fernandez doubled and scored on a single by Brian Peterson, who came home on Brandon Chaves' triple to cap the scoring

Chavez and Walker both finished 3-for-4 with two doubles and a triple and Peterson added two hits and two RBIs for the Curve

Steven Pearce went 0-for-4 to snap his 11-game hitting streak

Rock Cats reliever J.P. Martinez (0-2) surrendered three runs on four hits in the eighth

Starter Jesse Floyd gave up one run on six hits while fanning five and walking two over 6-2/3 frames

David Winfree hit a solo homer and Luke Hughes went 2-for-3 with a double for New Britain (31-29)

The Curve offense, which has created its own breaks recently, benefited from a huge gift Thursday night
New Britain right fielder Rashad Eldridge inexplicably turned a single into a triple to open the floodgates for four eighth-inning runs as Altoona rallied for a 5-2 win over the Rock Cats before 6,272 fans at Blair County Ballpark

Neil Walker hit a sinking liner off New Britain reliever J.P. Martin and thought Eldridge would make the catch
‘‘I kind of slowed up a little bit coming out of the box’’ Walker said
Then ...
‘‘Fortunately for me, he misplayed it and we got a run out of it’’

And a second, third and fourth

Eldridge came in on the liner, but his diving attempt let the ball skip to the warning track
Brett Roneberg, on base thanks to a leadoff walk, scored to tie the game at 2-2

Eldridge, who played center field on Wednesday and came up comically short on one diving attempt, could have played it safe Thursday
Had he done that, runners would have been on first and second with one out

As it was, the misplay allowed Altoona to win its eighth consecutive game at BCB, one short of the franchise record, and 13th in its past 17 overall

‘‘A do-or-die play’’ as Curve starting pitcher Kip Bouknight said
‘‘He tried to make the play, and it just got by him
It ended up being huge for us
It was a tough play for him to make, but luckily for us, he didn’t make the play’’

The runs didn’t stop there
Walker scored on Adam Boeve’s sacrifice fly to give the Curve a 3-2 lead
Alex Fernandez doubled and scored on Brian Peterson’s single, then Brandon Chaves’ triple brought Peterson home as Altoona went up 5-2

‘‘I feel bad for Eldridge’’ Curve manager Tim Leiper admitted
‘‘I’m happy we won the game
Mistakes happen
I’m glad we were on the other side of it
You can’t fault the guy for trying to do something great to help his team win based on the fact they lost the first two games in the series and didn’t want to get swept’’

The Curve’s offense managed little against Rock Cats starter Jesse Floyd, further magnifying Eldridge’s blunder
Altoona put runners on second and third in the fifth and seventh innings but failed to score each time
The Curve’s hot offense patched together just one run in 6-2/3 innings against Floyd, who has now allowed only two runs in his past 20-2/3 frames

Altoona had tagged New Britain’s pitching staff for 38 runs over the previous three meetings entering Thursday

Bouknight allowed a pair of runs in eight innings on 106 pitches
He has surrendered two or fewer runs in nine of his 12 starts, and his 3.27 ERA paces Curve starters

New Britain saw just six pitches off Bouknight (7-2) in the eighth
‘‘The more and more you see him go out there, the more and more you pull for him not only as a coach or a fan, but his teammates do, too’’ Leiper said
‘‘When he went out there and pitched the eighth trailing a run, those guys wanted to get him the win’’

Walker and Chaves each had two doubles and a triple, and Walker’s 33 extra-base hits lead the Eastern League

Martinez (0-2) gave up three runs in one inning, while Curve closer Matt Peterson saved his 12th game of the year with a perfect ninth