Of all the Curve's accomplishments this season - and there have been a bunch - what the club has done the past two days ranks near the top.
Akron came to town with a chance to put a scare into Altoona, which has played like anything but a first-place team the past month. The Curve had dropped 11 of 15 games and faced the very real possibility of seeing the third-place Aeros inch dangerously close.
Forget about that now.
"You feel it. You feel the confidence coming back. You feel our guys with their swagger," Curve manager Matt Walbeck said.
Two days, that's all it took, for that swagger to return and for the Curve to bury Akron at 7 1/2 games back in the Western Division.
Altoona's longtime nemesis can't be counted out yet, but after three losses in two days, the Aeros are now a major long shot to catch the Curve.
It was just two weeks ago that Altoona got swept in a three-game series at Akron.
"We remember," second baseman Chase d'Arnaud said bluntly following Wednesday's 5-1 win, Altoona's fourth in a row.
The Aeros were red hot and the Curve ice cold when they last met. Akron trimmed its deficit to as low as 3 1/2 games and entered this week's big four-game set at 4 1/2 back.
There are lots of instances and scenarios in every sport where losing can be beneficial. For the Curve, suffering a rotten month of July (10-18) after having everything go their way all season provided the Double-A players a great opportunity.
They could wilt, or they could battle through the adversity. Baseball, a game of failure, is filled with more adversity than any other sport, and every successful player at every level got that way because he figured out how to overcome major struggles at some point.
What this year's team needed to truly prove its greatness was not to just continue to roll over every opponent.
What this team needed was to fail for a while and see how it responded.
That happened, and the club - so far - has responded great.
"Just overall, guys are starting to feel fresh again," Walbeck said. "I think they were kind of going through some dog days, and right now I think they're starting to get their second wind."
The major turning point - perhaps for the entire season - occurred Tuesday night after Altoona had fallen behind 3-1 against Akron. The Aeros had a dynamite prospect in Alex White on the mound, but the Curve battled back against the pitcher, who entered the game with a 1.49 ERA.
Altoona scored three runs in the fourth inning to rally for a 4-3 victory, then won in thrilling walk-off fashion in the nightcap, 3-2, on d'Arnaud's RBI single in the 10th.
"It provided us with some momentum, and momentum is huge in baseball," d'Arnaud said. "Akron definitely had some momentum this last month, and they went on a tear and really caught up. These last few games got momentum back on our side."
First baseman Matt Hague was on the Lynchburg team that won a Carolina League title last season and recalled how that club found a way to overcome adversity. Pedro Alvarez and Miles Durham were called up to the Curve in late June, and it sent the Hillcats into a tailspin as they lost nine of 11.
"At the same time last year, in a funny way, we had the same thing," Hague said. "I think it's good to face some adversity early, and it will help us out in the long run."
The Curve haven't clinched anything yet, and Akron hasn't been eliminated yet. There's also Bowie (four games back) and Harrisburg (6 1/2 back) to worry about, but those margins and the one over the Aeros at least provide a comfortable cushion in a race where the top two teams make the playoffs.
For most of the season the Curve looked like a lock to reach the playoffs, but a week ago - while in a freefall - they appeared on the verge of a collapse.
Impressively, all it took was two days against Akron to start feeling good about the team once again.
Cory Giger is the host of "Sports Central" from 4 to 6 p.m. daily on ESPN Radio 1430 WVAM. He can be reached at 949-7031 or cgsports12@aol.com.
