The Altoona Curve offense used four home runs to outlast the Richmond Flying Squirrels in a 10-9 victory at PNG Field in front of 2,357 fans Tuesday night.

Shortstop Jack Brannigan roped a three-run home run in the third inning to give the Curve a 3-0 cushion, while center fielder Will Taylor singled in a run later in the inning to move the lead to 4-0

“We were actually swinging the bats well, I thought in Harrisburg, and we kind of continued it after the off day,” Altoona manager Andy Fox said. “We had really good at bats, did a great job with runners in scoring position, slowing the game down and executing.”

Brannigan launched his second home run of the day in the fourth inning to give Altoona a 5-0 lead.

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Curve's Jared Triolo (35) watches Jack Brannigan celebrate his three-run homer where Triolo and Duce Gourson scored.

The Flying Squirrels got a run back in the fifth, but Pirate third baseman Jared Triolo, in town on a rehab assignment, hit a three-run home run of his own over the right field fence to extend the lead to 8-1.

Second baseman Duce Gourson got in on the home run party after Triolo and made back-to-back home runs.

Richmond scored five in the sixth to make it a 9-6 score. The Curve answered with a run of their own in the home half of the inning on a Taylor double.

The Flying Squirrels didn’t go away as they scored two in the eighth and another in the ninth.

“We were able to get through it and we’ve got to do a better job of managing the sixth inning,” Fox said. “You’re going to give up some runs, but we’ve got to try to limit it as much as we can and make them put the ball in play and not give too many free passes.”

Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski Curve catcher Omar Alfonzo fist bumps pitcher Connor Wietgrefe after the top of the third inning.

Going to Jared

A 2024 Gold Glove winner and 2022 Curve alum, Triolo, continued his rehab assignment in Altoona Tuesday night as he returns from right knee patellar tendonitis.

“It feels good moving around and running the bases,” Triolo said. “My body feels good. Swing feels good.”

Triolo was 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs and played the entire game at third base for the Curve, his first time back in Altoona since playing for the team in 2022.

“It’s good. Fans cheered for me when I went up to hit so that’s always a good thing,” Triolo said.

According to Fox, the expectation is for Triolo to be here for the entire week.

K, then

Curve pitchers racked up 14 strikeouts against Richmond Tuesday night with starter Connor Wietgrefe racking up a game-high six.

The standings

Richmond dropped to 17-4 in the Southwest Division, but still in first place. The Curve are now 7-15 in the same division and still in last place behind Erie.

Up next

The Curve will send righty Peyton Stumbo to the mound against Senators fellow righty Joe Whitman tonight.