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RICHMOND, Va. -- Nick Cimillo hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the top of the seventh, and the Curve bullpen locked down a 5-4 win over the Richmond Flying Squirrels at The Diamond. Friday night.
With the victory, Altoona holds a three-game lead in the Southwest Division with 26 games remaining in the second half.
Altoona totaled 11 hits and drew three walks, the third time this week that the team has picked up at least 11 hits in the team's series at Richmond. Mitch Jebb and Termarr Johnson each picked up two hits in the win.
Richmond built a 4-1 lead through three innings, scoring early against righty Alessandro Ercolani. He scattered four hits and four walks in 5• innings, just the second time this season that the 21-year-old right-hander has worked into the sixth.
Ercolani struck out six before the Curve bullpen, led by Cy Nielson, Landon Tomkins and Justin Meis, did its job. Altoona's bullpen covered the final 3ª innings and allowed only one hit and two walks.
P.J. Hilson began the comeback attempt with an RBI single in the fourth inning to make it a 4-2 game. The Curve drew a run closer in the sixth when Javier Rivas doubled and then later scored on a wild pitch.
After Johnson was hit by a pitch in the seventh, Cimillo stepped up against righty Will Bednar. Cimillo slammed the second pitch he saw over the left field wall for his 14th homer of the season for a 5-4 lead.
Cimillo is batting .266 with 16 extra-hits in his last 21 games, totaling a 1.054 OPS. Cimillo has the most extra-base hits by a Double-A player since the All-Star break.