ALTOONA, Pa. – Duce Gourson and Omar Alfonzo each homered in an 8-7 win for Altoona over Richmond Wednesday night at Peoples Natural Gas Field.
Altoona’s lead in the Southwest Division has reached four games with 10 contests remaining in the second half.
In a game that featured three separate ties and three lead changes, P.J. Hilson drove in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning when the Curve loaded the bases with one out on a base hit and a pair of walks.
Gourson slammed his fourth homer with the Curve to tie the game at 3-all in the third inning. Gourson added a double in the fifth inning for his 12th multi-hit game in an Altoona uniform. He’s picked up a hit in 12 straight games.
After Richmond scored three times in the top of the fourth and added single runs in the fifth and sixth, the Curve offense went back to work in the sixth. Nick Cimillo started the rally with a double and after a base hit from Termarr Johnson. Alfonzo slammed a 3-2 offering over the wall in left-center field to take a 7-6 lead.
Richmond tied the game on a sacrifice fly from pinch-hitter Carter Howell in the eighth inning. However, Altoona rallied again in the bottom of the eighth. Johnson singled to start the inning and then Alfonzo and Javier Rivas each drew walks to load the bases. Taking his first at-bat of the night, Hilson lifted fly ball to shallow center and Johnson scampered home with the go-ahead run.
Tyler Samaniego earned the win with 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Samaniego allowed an inherited run to score and stranded the go-ahead run in the ninth inning.
Altoona continues its six-game series with Richmond Thursday. Right-hander Emmanuel Chapman takes the ball for the Curve with right-hander Trystan Vrieling slated to start for the Flying Squirrels.