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Curve lose despite pair of home runs

HARRISBURG – Things are starting to get tight in the Western Division as the Curve try to hang on for a regular-season title.

Altoona lost at Harrisburg on Tuesday, 4-3, while Akron continued to surge with a win over Reading. The RubberDucks, who have won nine in a row, have closed the gap on the the Curve to 2.5 games with 13 contests remaining.

The Curve haven’t been a big home run hitting team this season, but they got two more long balls Tuesday – solo shots from Barrett Barnes and Stetson Allie. Barnes hit his in the second inning, giving him six homers in his last 13 games, after he had only one all season prior to that.

Harrisburg did all of its damage in the third inning off Altoona starter Clay Holmes, scoring four runs for a 4-1 lead and jumpstarting the inning with a triple by pitcher Tyler Mapes. Drew Ward singled home the first two runs, and Adrian Sanchez singled in the final two for the Senators.

Holmes (10-9) lasted just 2 1/3 innings, giving up four runs on five hits with three walks and two strikeouts. He threw 65 pitches and yet didn’t make it out of the third inning.

The Curve bullpen was outstanding, with four relievers combining to allow just two hits over 5 2/3 scoreless innings. That gave Altoona’s offense a chance to try and catch up from the 4-1 deficit, and it nearly did just that.

Anderson Feliz’s RBI groundout in the sixth made it 4-2. Allie then ripped a solo homer in the seventh to cut the deficit to one. It was Allie’s 51st homer as a member of the Curve, leaving him four shy of the franchise record shared by Adam Hyzdu and Josh Bonifay.

Allie came up again in the eighth inning with the bases loaded and two outs looking to tie it or put the Curve ahead. He struck out looking, though, on a questionable pitch to end the threat.

Mapes (12-8) earned the win for Harrisburg, giving up one run on six hits in five innings. Andrew Robinson closed it out in the ninth for his sixth save.

SUBHD: Game recap

Key player: RHP Tyler Mapes allowed just one run in five innings for the win and ignited Harrisburg’s big third inning with a triple.

Key play: 3B Drew Ward and SS Adrian Sanchez each had a two-run single for the Senators as they took a 4-1 lead in the third.

Key stat: The Curve’s lead in the Western Division is down to 2 games over Akron.

SUBHD: How they scored

Top 2nd: Barnes solo homer (1-0).

Bottom 3rd: Mapes tripled, Bautista walked, both scored on Ward single (1-2); Marmolejos walked, scored along with Ward on Sanchez single (1-4).

Top 6th: Jhang doubled, scored on Feliz groundout (2-4).

Top 7th: Allie solo homer (3-4).

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