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From Mirror reports
AKRON, Ohio -- Anthony Solometo struck out two batters and allowed just one hit over four scoreless innings in his 2024 debut, but the Curve were shut out by the Akron RubberDucks in a 1-0 defeat on Sunday afternoon at Canal Park.
Solometo walked three batters in the start but did not allow a hit over his last three innings. Akron's lone run of the contest came on a solo home run from Petey Halpin in the fifth inning of Curve reliever Valentin Linarez.
Halpin recorded seven hits in the three-game series for Akron with four RBIs. Linarez struck out five batters and allowed one hit over two innings of relief in his debut.
The Curve were held to just three hits in the loss, with two coming off the bat of Aaron Shackelford. Francisco Acuna reached base three times with two walks and a single. The RubberDucks used five pitchers in the shutout, who struck out seven batters but walked five. Rodney Boone earned the win with 4ª innings of relief, while Lenny Torres Jr. earned the save with a clean ninth inning.
Tyler Samaniego tossed a scoreless seventh inning for the Curve with a strikeout before Cameron Junker followed with a strikeout in a scoreless eighth.
The Curve open at Peoples Natural Gas Field on Tuesday to begin a six-game series with the Harrisburg Senators. The first pitch is set for 6 p.m. with righty Braxton Ashcraft taking the ball for Altoona against Sens righty Kyle Luckham.
Saturday's game
Brad Case worked a scoreless 1-2-3 eighth inning with a strikeout in his first Double-A sidearm appearance on Saturday night, but Altoona's bats were kept at bay as the Ducks defeated the Curve, 5-2.
Case, who made the transition late last season to become a permanent side-arm option in the bullpen, tossed nine pitches with eight strikes to get two groundball outs and a strikeout in his first appearance of the season.
Altoona's offense was only able to work four hits in the defeat, including a double by Jase Bowen and singles from Jackson Glenn, Abrahan Gutierrez, and Connor Scott.
The Curve's two runs came in the eighth inning, when Akron reliever Tyler Thornton walked the bases loaded to open the frame before the Curve got runs off a double play and fielding error.