From Mirror reports
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - It's been a rough season for the Curve offense, but it enjoyed one of the best games in franchise history in a rout of Binghamton on Sunday.
Altoona smacked 20 hits and received big contributions throughout the order in a 15-6 win over the B-Mets at NYSEG Stadium. The Curve entered the day with the fewest hits (510) and homers (25) and second-fewest runs (242) in the Eastern League but crushed the ball from the outset in setting a season high in runs.
Robbie Grossman opened the game with a home run, and that was merely a sign of things to come for the Curve. Every starting position player had at least one hit and a run, while six of the eight had at least one RBI.
Newcomer Stefan Welch was one of four Curve players with three hits as he went 3-for-5 with a home run, four RBIs and two runs. Quincy Latimore also went 3-for-5 with a homer, scored twice and drove in two, while Charlie Cutler and Miles Durham each went 3-for-5 with one RBI.
The 20 hits were a season high and just two shy of the franchise record set on Aug. 7, 2010 (an 18-run, 22-hit game at Harrisburg in which the club scored 10 runs in the ninth inning).
Fact Box
Next stop
Tonight: Idle
Next up: New Britain at Altoona, Tuesday, 7 p.m. (The Pirates' Jeff Karstens will start for the Curve)
Record: 31-36
Grossman and Drew Maggi had two hits apiece for the Curve, who had two big innings with four runs in the third and five in the ninth. The game was actually close after seven innings as Altoona led just 8-5, but the visitors scored twice in the eighth before pulling away in the ninth.
Curve starter Shairon Martis (5-2) picked up the win despite allowing five runs in 5 2/3 innings. Binghamton starter Greg Peavey (3-3) gave up seven runs - four earned - in five innings for the loss. The B-Mets' defense helped Altoona by committing four errors.
Game recap
Key player: 3B Stefan Welch went 3-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs.
Key play: Welch's solo homer in the seventh and RBI single in the eighth helped the Curve pull away from what had been only a 7-5 lead.
Key stat: The Curve's 20 hits are just two shy of the franchise record, and they scored a season-high 15 runs.
How they scored
Top 1st: Grossman solo homer (1-0); Cunningham walked, scored on Welch sacrifice fly (2-0).
Bottom 2nd: Campbell walked, Martin walked, both scored on Ozga three-run homer (2-3).
Top 3rd: Durham singled, scored on Ozga error (3-3) that allowed Welch to reach; Latimore two-run homer scored Welch (5-3); Chambers walked, scored on Lagares error (6-3).
Bottom 3rd: Lagares singled, scored on Campbell single (6-4).
Top 5th: Latimore singled, scored on Cutler single (7-4).
Bottom 6th: Gronauer reached on fielder's choice, scored on Zapata single (7-5).
Top 7th: Welch solo homer (8-5).
Top 8th: Grossman doubled, scored on Durham sacrifice fly (9-5); Maggi walked, scored on Welch single (10-5).
Top 9th: Cutler doubled, scored on Brown double (11-5); Chambers singled, scored along with Brown on Cunningham single (13-5); Grossman walked, scored on Welch single (14-5); Inman single scored Cunningham (15-5).
Bottom 9th: Zapata singled, scored on Havens bases-loaded walk (15-6).
