The Richmond Flying Squirrels (22-19) remained unbeaten on Sunday this season with a 8-2 victory over the Altoona Curve (16-25) at Peoples Natural Gas Field. The Squirrels are now 7-0 on Sundays and have taken all three series they have met the Curve in this season. Richmond also topped their season-high for total hits with 16, including five players with multiple-hit games.
Tyler Graham jump-started the Squirrels’ stagnant offense when he led off the ballgame with a single off of lefty Zack Dodson. Ryan Lollis followed and cracked a double into the right-field corner to put two aboard with nobody out. Matt Duffy then bounced out to score Graham for a 1-0 lead. An out later, Angel Villalona punched an RBI single to right field to bring in Lollis for a 2-0 advantage.
In an odd inning, the Curve tied the game in the second against lefty Jack Snodgrass. With one out, Elias Diaz singled on the infield. Snodgrass then walked Jarek Cunningham to put two aboard. Drew Maggi followed and sent a ball back to the mound. Snodgrass couldn’t play it cleanly. Once he gathered it, he threw wildly past first base to allow Diaz to score. The Curve then tied the game when Dodson laid down a bunt. As catcher Myles Schroder threw to first base, Cunningham dashed in to even the score, 2-2.
Richmond hurriedly regained the lead against Dodson in the third. With one away, Mario Lisson blasted a double off the wall in left-center field. Villalona followed and lined a single into right field. It bounced off the arm of Willy Garcia, and the error allowed Lisson to score for a 3-2 lead. The double was the first of four on the night for Lisson (4-for-5, 2 2Bs), a season-high.
Dodson (0-2) retired to the loss after five innings, having conceded three runs – two earned. He allowed six hits, walked none and struck out three.
Snodgrass (4-0) earned the win – his fourth – over five innings. He allowed two runs, both unearned, on five hits. He walked three and struck out three, his record remaining unblemished for the season.
Both teams were quiet offensively through the middle innings, but the Squirrels put the game out of reach in the seventh against righty Tyler Sample. Kelby Tomlinson got Richmond started with a broken-bat single to center field. An out later, Sample hit Graham in the head with a pitch. Graham was fortunately okay, and stayed in the game. An out later, Duffy punched a two-run double into the right-field corner. The double extended Duffy’s hit-streak to 10 games and expanded the Richmond lead to 5-2. Lisson capped the inning when he rifled a double to the left-field corner to plate Duffy.
The Squirrels added some insult to injury with a pair of runs against Sample in the eighth inning. Richmond strung together four consecutive hits to start the inning. The fourth, from Ricky Oropesa, made it 7-2. Graham capped the scoring for the evening when he bounced into a double play that scored Devin Harris.
Right-hander Edwin Quirarte battled his way through two scoreless innings of relief behind Snodgrass. Right-hander Austin Fleet handled the eighth and lefty Phil McCormick closed out the win.
The Squirrels continue their week-long road trip as they travel to New Britain, CT, to open a four-game series with the New Britain Rock Cats (Minnesota Twins) at New Britain Stadium on Monday night. First pitch of the opener is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. as Richmond RHP Clayton Blackburn (2-4, 3.05) makes the start against New Britain RHP Tyler Duffy (0-0, 3.00). The Flying Squirrels Pregame Warmup begins at 6:05 p.m. on Sports Radio 910 andSportsRadio910.com.
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