Richmond Flying Squirrels roll past Altoona, 12-5

Jack Snodgrass was sterling on the mound and potent at the plate, leading the Richmond Flying Squirrels (24-23) as they trounced the Altoona Curve, 12-5, on Saturday night at Peoples Natural Gas Field.  Snodgrass (4-0) went 3-for-4 at the plate and earned the win on the mound over 6 1/3 innings as the Squirrels leveled the series.  Jarrett Parker homered twice in the victory.

Gift Ngoepe got the Curve started with a lead-off single off Snodgrass in the bottom of the first inning.  Two outs later, Snodgrass walked Andrew Lambo.  He should have been out of the inning unscathed when Jarek Cunningham tapped a ball just wide of the mound.  However, Snodgrass threw wildly into right field.  The error allowed both runners to score for a 2-0 Altoona lead.  Both runs were unearned against Snodgrass due to his own error.

Snodgrass atoned for his throwing error when he led off the top of the third inning with a single.  The base hit – off of righty Stolmy Pimentel – was the first of Snodgrass’ career.  It set the stage for Parker.  Parker smacked his second opposite-field homer of the series into the bleachers in left field.  The two-run home run, the seventh of the year for Parker, leveled the ballgame, 2-2.

Parker also triggered the pivotal inning in the ballgame when he led off the fifth.  Parker launched his second home run of the night – and third of the series.  His eighth of the season was drilled to center field off Pimentel.  It was only the beginning in the inning as Mark Minicozzi followed a walk with an RBI double.  After two crucial errors were charged to the Curve, Travious Relaford cracked an RBI single.  Snodgrass then pushed a two-run double into the right field corner.  It was the second hit of the day for Snodgrass, and capped a 10-batter, six-run inning.

Pimentel (2-3) departed during the fifth inning, doomed to the loss over 4 2/3 innings.  He was tagged with eight runs – four earned – on seven hits.  He walked three and struck out, suffering his third defeat of the year.

Richmond then delivered the knockout blow in the sixth inning against lefty Jhonathan Ramos.  With one out, Javier Herrera decked his fifth home run of the season.  Herrera’s shot was to left-center and banked off the scoreboard.  Minicozzi and Lollis then contributed back-to-back singles and were aboard for Andrew Susac.  Susac crushed a three-run home run to left field for a 12-2 lead.  Susac’s sixth of the season was the fourth of the night for the Squirrels – a single-game high for the season.

Minicozzi finished the day with three more hits.  He has now hit safely in 10 straight games and 21 of his past 22.  Snodgrass also added an additional hit to finish with three hits on the night.

Snodgrass allowed just two unearned runs over 6 1/3 innings, conceding six hits and walking one.  He struck out five, and has not allowed an earned run to the Curve over three starts and 17 1/3 innings.  Right-handers Edwin Quirarte and Daryl Maday did concede three garbage time runs to cap the scoring in the ballgame.

Game three of the four-game series is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Sunday night at Peoples Natural Gas Field.  Richmond LHP Carlos Teller (0-0, 0.00) will make the start against Altoona RHP Luis Sanz (2-1, 3.65).  Pregame coverage begins on Sports Radio 910, SportsRadio910.com and IHeart Radio at 5:30 p.m.