From Mirror reports
ERIE - The season is still young at just four weeks old, but it's already starting to slip away from the Curve.
Altoona dropped its fourth game in a row Monday night at Erie, 10-5, and is now six games below .500 at 8-14. The Curve are in last place in the Western Division, 7 1/2 games behind Akron, and the club hasn't come close to living up to its preseason potential.
Monday's game was called after 6 1/2 innings because of rain at Jerry Uht Park, but the SeaWolves had things well in hand after a pair of five-run frames.
Erie scored five times in the first off Curve starter Nathan Baker, only to see Altoona rally and close within 5-4. No sooner than that happened, though, the SeaWolves exploded for another five-run frame in the fifth to pull away.
Curve starter Nathan Baker (2-3) allowed eight runs - seven earned - on nine hits and four walks in 4 1/3 innings. He survived a rough first inning but ran into trouble again in the fifth as Erie put together its second five-run inning.
Fact Box
Next stop
Tonight: Altoona at Erie, 6:35 p.m.
Pitching matchups: Curve RHP?Brandon?Cumpton (2-2, 3.60) vs.?SeaWolves LHP Jared Wesson (2-1, 5.91)
Record: 8-14
Jeremy Farrell hit a two-run triple in the second for the Curve, and Ramon Cabrera added another RBI triple in the fourth. Cabrera then scored on a wild pitch to pull Altoona within 5-4.
Baker ran into trouble in the fifth and was lifted with one out and the bases loaded. Niuman Romero then delivered the game's key hit off reliever Jhonathan Ramos, a three-run triple that gave Erie a 9-4 lead.
Zack Segovia won for Erie despite allowing five runs on seven hits in six innings.
Matt Curry and Tony Sanchez each had two hits for the Curve. Erie's John Murrian went 3-for-4, while Michael Rockett had three RBIs.
Game recap
Key player: Erie SS Niuman Romero went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a run.
Key play: Romero's three-run triple in the fifth broke the game open by giving the SeaWolves a 9-4 lead.
Key stat: The Curve have lost four in a row and have dropped to 7 1/2 games behind first-place Akron.
How they scored
Bottom 1st: Douglas walked, scored on Brantly double (0-1); Lennerton single scored Brantly (0-2); Murrian single scored Lennerton (0-3); Guez reached on Sanchez error, Pounds walked, both scored on Rockett single (0-5).
Top 2nd: Sanchez singled, Cabrera walked, both scored on Farrell triple (2-5).
Top 4th: Sanchez singled, scored on Cabrera triple (3-5); Segovia wild pitch scored Cabrera (4-5).
Bottom 5th: Lennerton singled, scored on Rockett groundout (4-6); Pounds walked, Murrian singled, Johnson walked, all scored on Romero triple (4-9); Douglas single scored Romero (4-10).
Top 6th: Curry doubled, scored on Cabrera groundout (5-10).
