Curve's Matt Gorski can't believe he is called out by umpire Christian Roemer on a stolen base. / Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

Mason Martin’s walk-off single put the final touches on a wild 7-6 win for the Altoona Curve over the Erie Seawolves in front of 3,132 people at PNG Field Wednesday night.

As Martin jogged down the line, he pointed at the dugout making sure to catch the eye of Curve manager Callix Crabbe.

“It was cool to see,” Crabbe said. “It was a group that was frustrated with the way that things were turning up for themselves. I’d put a quote that said opportunities are created. And I think he probably took some of those statements and words to heart.”

Martin’s winning hit capped off a night that started with a no-hitter attempt from Curve starter Nick Dombkowski that was spoiled in the fifth inning with a two-run home run.

The Curve immediately responded in the bottom half of the inning, which was ultimately the theme on this night. They’d get punched and then they’d punch back.

Martin had an RBI single in the sixth to help get within one before catcher Abrahan Gutierrez knocked in Matt Gorski to tie the game at 2-2.

Tsung-Che Cheng scored in the seventh to give Altoona its first lead of the night and would then steal two of his four bases in the ninth inning to tie the game and force extra innings.

In the tenth it was Gorski’s 408-foot, two-run home run that tied the game once again after Altoona allowed two runs in the top half of the inning.

Cheng’s aggressiveness once again came to fruition having started the home half of the inning at second base. Cheng stole third and scampered home to tie the game at six and set the table for Martin’s heroics later in the same inning.

“Fight and rally. That’s the heart of his team,” Crabbe said. “They enjoy the nuances of the game. They felt like the way that we ended the first half wasn’t really indicative of who they were. The fight’s real. We have obviously a lot of new players and those players are getting situated in the clubhouse and they’re really good additions.”

The guy can run

Tsung-Che Cheng tied a franchise-record for stolen bases with four against Erie. It was the cherry on top for Cheng who was 2-for-4 on the night.

That type of aggressiveness is a key asset, but for a young player like Cheng, it’s something that isn’t always going to pay off the way it did against the Seawolves.

“It’s cool to look at from a baseball standpoint,” Crabbe said. “He’s young, he’s very aggressive, very fast. He wants to use his tool, but they probably weren’t the most ideal situations to go and run, but it worked. Just because it worked, it isn’t always the best thing, but kudos to him for looking to find the extra 90 feet in that moment. It definitely caught them by surprise.”

For Cheng, there’s an adjustment period between High-A Greensboro and Altoona, though, the aggressiveness isn’t going to stop because of the adjustment and for good reason, it’s an integral part to his game and a gamechanger.

“I’m going to stay aggressive and keep running bases like I know,” Cheng said via translator Charles Chiang. “Tonight, I was able to steal those bases because I saw something with the pitchers that I could take advantage of, so I did.”

Early dominance

Dombkowski was dominant through five innings, having thrown five perfect frames.

Dombkowski racked up five strikeouts in a career-high 5ª innings of action, but it was the sixth inning that thwarted his perfect game bid.

A leadoff double by Dillon Dingler got the inning started, but it was a Diego Rincones home run that spoiled the shutout performance and put Erie on the board for the first time.

It was a simple approach that helped Dombkowski against Erie.

“Just staying within myself and not trying to do too much,” he said. “I was a starter in the past so it’s second nature for me to switch different roles.”

Next up

Southpaw Anthony Solometo gets the nod for tonight’s game for Altoona. Solometo has put up impressive numbers since arriving in Double-A.

He carries a 1-1 record with a 1.20 ERA through three starts having struck out 18 hitters while only yielding an average of three hits per game.