The Altoona Curve dropped the series finale to the Hartford Yard Goats, 11-4, on Sunday afternoon at Peoples Natural Gas Field.

With 30 games remaining in the second half of the Eastern League, the Curve hold a 1¢-game lead in the Southwest Division race for the second half title.

Hartford took a commanding 9-0 lead after the top of the sixth inning. Hartford’s Braylon Wimmer (four hits) and Charlie Condon (three hits, double, homer) led the Yard Goats offense, which racked up 11 runs on 15 hits and drew nine walks.

For the Curve, Duce Gourson picked up two hits, including a double and a walk. P.J. Hilson added two hits, and Sammy Siani had an RBI double.

On the mound, Altoona got three innings of one-run ball from Po-Yu Chen. Each member of the bullpen allowed at least one run as Curve pitchers combined for nine walks.

Saturday’s game

Altoona rallied from a 2-1 deficit after seven innings and earned a 3-2 win in 10 innings over the Yard Goats in front of 8,087 fans at PNG Field on Saturday night.

Esmerlyn Valdez drove in the game-tying run in the bottom of the eighth with a sacrifice fly to deep center field to draw the Curve even at 2-2.

In the bottom of the 10th, Hilson advanced to third on a throwing error by Yard Goats catcher Bryant Betancourt and scored when Mitch Jebb lifted the game-winning sacrifice fly to deep left field.

Up next

Altoona travels to The Diamond in Richmond, Va., to open a six-game series with the Flying Squirrels on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. RHP Antwone Kelly takes the ball for Altoona.