Big innings, solid pitching push Altoona past Flying Squirrels, 11-1

A barrage of scoring led the Altoona Curve to an 11-1 win over the Richmond Flying Squirrels Saturday night at The Diamond.

The Curve (18-10) scored in five consecutive innings, including four innings with multiple runs. The Flying Squirrels (16-13) allowed the most runs on the season and it was the largest margin of defeat in 2021.

Altoona took the lead in the third inning off a two-run homer from Rodolfo Castro off Richmond starter Phil Pfiefer (Loss, 0-1) and put the Curve ahead, 2-0.

The Curve struck with three runs in the fourth inning courtesy of a solo home run from Daniel Amaral and Ji-Hwan Bae’s two-RBI double, putting the Curve up, 5-0.

An RBI double off the bat of Daniel Amaral extended the Altoona lead to 6-0 in the fifth and then a three-run sixth inning put up a 9-0 advantage. In the sixth, Brendt Citta smacked a two-RBI triple and later scored on a wild pitch from Richmond pitcher Mac Marshall.

Richmond broke the shutout in the bottom of the sixth when Sandro Fabian reached on a fielding error and scored Shane Matheny, putting the score at 9-1.

Castro struck his second home run of the game in the seventh, a two-run homer that added to the Altoona advantage, 11-1.

Fabian scored from first base after an Altoona fielding error to cut into the lead, 11-2, in the ninth inning.

In his season-debut with the Flying Squirrels, Pfiefer went 3.1 innings, allowing eight hits, five runs (four earned) and one walk with six strikeouts.

Osvaldo Bido (W, 1-0) collected his first Double-A win over 5.2 innings with four hits allowed, one run (unearned), one walk and a season-high eight strikeouts.

Fabian finished the game 3-for-4.

The series wraps up between the Flying Squirrels take and the Curve Sunday afternoon with right-hander Gerson Garabito (0-2, 5.49) expected to start for Richmond opposed by right-hander Jeff Passantino (0-1, 3.00) for Altoona.

Sunday is the Funnville Field Day with classic field day games around The Diamond along with a Field Day youth t-shirt giveaway to the first 500 fans 14 and younger. It’s also Postgame Kids Run the Bases, where Kids 14 and younger are invited to run the bases after the game presented by Richmond Family Magazine. First pitch is at 1:05 p.m. with gates opening at noon.

Tickets are available online at SquirrelsBaseball.com/Tickets, by phone at 804-359-3866 or in person at the Flying Squirrels offices.