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AKRON, Ohio -- Tsung-Che Cheng and Brenden Dixon each knocked solo home runs for Altoona in a 6-3 loss to Akron on Friday night at Canal Park.
The RubberDucks scored all six of their runs in the first inning, chasing Curve starter Bubba Chandler out of the game after just two-thirds of an inning.
Chandler did not allow a hit but matched a career-high with five walks in the frame. He left with the trainer in the eighth at-bat of the inning, with Justin Meis entering in relief and allowing a grand slam to Dayan Frias to cap the big inning.
Meis went 2• innings and allowed just two hits with three strikeouts. Drake Fellows gave Altoona four scoreless innings of relief with a career-high seven strikeouts.
Fellows struck out five batters in a row from the fourth through sixth innings and seven of eight in that stretch. Cameron Junker tossed a scoreless eighth inning. Altoona pitching finished with 12 strikeouts.
Cheng collected his fourth home run of the season in the second inning off Akron starter Tommy Mace. Dixon added his second long ball of the frame off Mace in the seventh, who threw 7ª innings for the RubberDucks with five strikeouts.
Both Cheng and Dixon as well, as Jase Bowen, had two hits apiece in the loss.
Altoona added a run in the ninth inning on three hits off Andrew Walters, with Francisco Acuna adding a hit in his third-straight game to plate a run.
Altoona continues its series with the RubberDucks Saturday at 7:05 p.m. Southpaw Anthony Solometo will pitch against fellow southpaw Rodney Boone slated to start for the RubberDucks. The two teams play again Sunday at 1 p.m.