Fightin Phils Even Series with 9-1 Win over Altoona

CURVE, PA. – Reading drew even in the week-long series with a 9-1 win over Altoona on Friday night at Peoples Natural Gas field.

Dominic Perachi returned to the Altoona rotation and was touched for a pair of runs in the first inning. Reading plated the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly from Caleb Ricketts and a run-scoring single from Erick Brito to take a 2-0 lead. Perachi struck out three in 2.1 innings before hitting his hard pitch limit of 47 pitches. Emmanuel Chapman followed him with 2.0 innings of one-run relief.

Reading added three more runs on a three-run homer from Aroon Escobar in the sixth inning off Cy Nielson. Nielson went 1.2 innings in relief and picked up four strikeouts.

Altoona picked up seven hits in their first five innings at the plate, all of them singles. Derek Berg recorded his 13th multi-hit game of the season with his first career 4-hit game at the plate.

Callan Moss finally got the Curve on the board with a long solo homer to left in the bottom of the sixth. It was Moss’ first home run since May 9 at Chesapeake. Moss had a three-hit night for the third time this year.

Matt King added two hits of his own for his fifth multi-hit game of the season.

Reading put the game away with two runs against the Altoona bullpen in the seventh and another in the ninth inning to make it a 9-1 game.

Altoona plays game five of the series with Reading at 6:30 p.m. Saturday night. The Curve will send RHP Peyton Stumbo to the mound, righty Jean Cabrera slated to start for the Fightin Phils.

For tickets and more information on the Altoona Curve, visit AltoonaCurve.com, call 877.99.CURVE or stop by the PNG Field box office. Additionally, the Stockyard Team Store is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., during every home game and online 24/7/365.