The Result
Curve - 6 runs to 2

The Curve - Year-to-Date
10 wins and 11 losses

Brett's Position and the Batting Order
Playing - Leftfield
Batting - #3

----------In the initial lineup, Brett was listed as batting in the #4 spot
----------Randy Ruiz was on the bench, with Steven Pearce playing first base and batting #6
----------As the first innings progressed, the commentator was 'surprised' as Brett stepped in at #3
----------Pearce had been removed from the starting line up at the last minute - for "unknown reasons"
----------Brett moved to the #3 spot in the batting order, and Ruiz came in to the game at #4

Brett's at-bats
First plate appearance
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at third base - one down
Called strike - fast ball
Ball - fast ball - down and in
Ball
"This pitch is hit down the first base line ... the fielder collects it ... but he only has one play ... Roneberg is out but not before he drives in the first run of the ballgame here in the top of the first innings!!!"
Ground out to first base - PO3 - 1 x RBI
Second plate appearance
Righthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Called - fast ball
Ball - breaking ball - low
"That ball is hit into the hole on the rightside ... the Defenders' shortstop dives for it but he has no play ... Roneberg gets a seeing eye infield single for his first hit of the night"
Single to shortstop
Scored on a hit--------(see below in the "Heard during the Game" section)
Third plate appearance
Righthanded pitcher
Runner at first base - two down
Foul ball - breaking ball
"Roneberg is jammed up on that hit and the ball travels out to second base where it is fielded and the regulation play is made for the final out of the innings"
Ground out to second base - 4 to 3
Fourth plate appearance
Righthanded pitcher
Led off the innings
Ball - outside
Called strike - fast ball - on the outside corner
Foul ball - "That pitch is crushed into rightfield!!! ... it has plenty of distance but it is slicing away!!! ... and it's foul down the rightfield line ... and that is a very loud 'strike two' against Roneberg!!!"
"Now Brett does it again!!! ... but this one is hit the opposite way and deep into leftfield ... the fielder is backpedalling and is able to make the catch standing on the warning track!!! ... Brett just missed his third home run of the season twice in that at-bat"
Fly out to leftfield - F7
Fifth plate appearance
Runner at second base - two down
Called strike - breaking ball
"That ball is scorched down the first base line!!! ... but the Defenders' first-baseman stabs it and is able to flip on to the pitcher covering the base for the final out here in the top of the ninth innings ... Brett was robbed of extra bases and a run batted in on a great play by the Defenders' infield"
Ground out to first base - 3 to 1

At the end of the Game
1 hit from 5 at-bats - single, 1 x run batted in, 1 x run scored

Heard during the game

(01) During Brett's first plate appearance, the commentator said - "Once again tonight Brett is wearing uniform #39 ... due to a mix up and misplaced uniform last Saturday night, he had to change from his usual #17 ... in that game he had a double and triple so he stuck with it for the game on Sunday where he picked up a home run ... he would be hoping for this streak to continue!!!"

(02) After Brett's hit in his second plate appearance, the commentator continued - "The uniform number change could become a permanent move!!! ... that hit now gives Brett a three game hitting streak while wearing #39!!!"

(03) Second plate appearance and Brett singled and was on first base ... the next hitter put one in the air deep into the outfield ... the commentator said - "On that hit, Brett moved to second base and then turned the corner and waited and watched to see what happened with the ball ... when he saw that it was on the ground, he put the pedal down again and was able to come around and score the Curve's second run of the game ... it was a good display of heads up baserunning by Brett"

(04) During Brett's third plate appearance, the commentator said - "Brett comes here tonight following a successful series in Binghamton against the Mets ... he went 3-from-9 and each of those hits was for extra bases ... he picked up a home run, triple and a double, along with three runs batted in"

(05) During Brett's fourth plate appearance, the commentator mentioned - "I have just noticed that Brett is not swinging his usual red toned bat ... he is using a brown bat with a black handle here in this at-bat"

Email from Brett

Game Reports

With the Curve nursing a one-run lead in the eighth inning, Dave Parrish sent the first pitch he saw from Defenders reliever Osiris Matos over the left-field fence for a three-run home run, finishing off Connecticut as the Curve took the series opener at Dodd Stadium 6-2

The Curve got another solid start from Kip Bouknight (2-0), who worked six innings and allowed just two earned runs on four hits to collect the win

After a day off, Altoona got after Connecticut starter Nick Pereira quickly, scoring a run without the benefit of a hit in the top of the first inning
Jason Bowers walked to lead off the ballgame, and advanced to third on throwing error by catcher Todd Jennings while attempting to steal second
Brett Roneberg brought him home with a ground-out to first base

The Curve added two more runs in the fourth inning
Roneberg led off the inning with a single, and scored on an RBI double by Randy Ruiz off the wall in right-center field to make it 2-0
Neil Walker added a second consecutive double to score Ruiz and up the lead to 3-0

John Bowker got the Defenders on the board in the bottom of the fourth, when he took advantage of one of the few mistakes Bouknight made, slamming a breaking ball over the right-field wall for a solo home run to cut the lead to 3-1

Jake Wald's double in the fifth scored Todd Jennings, and cut the Curve lead to one at 3-2

The game stayed that way until the eighth inning, when the third pitcher of the night for Connecticut, Osiris Matos, walked Neil Walker
Adam Boeve was then awarded first-base on catcher's interference to put men at first and second
The ruling was ironic, because it opened the door for Dave Parrish, who was returning to the lineup days after breaking his nose on a similar play in Binghamton
Parrish delivered a three-run homer on the first pitch to make it 6-2 and the Curve cruised behind the bullpen to the finish line

Chris Hernandez and Romulo Sanchez were maginificent in relief
Hernandez sat down all six Defenders he faced in the seventh and eighth innings, while Sanchez turned in a 1-2-3 ninth to finish off the victory

Game two of this series is tomorrow night at 6.35pm
RHP Luis Munoz (2-0, 2.49) will make the start for Altoona against RHP Ben Cox (0-2, 4.20) for Connecticut

Curve Notes
The Curve welcomed Steven Pearce to the team on Tuesday
Pearce, who compiled 11 home runs in the month of April to lead all of minor league baseball, was promoted by the Pirates from Lynchburg (A)
Pearce made his Curve debut in the ninth, pinch-hitting and striking out

Kip Bouknight tossed six strong innings as Altoona topped host Connecticut, 6-2, on Tuesday

Bouknight (2-0) limited the Defenders (7-12) to a pair of runs on four hits and a walk, striking out five
Through four starts, the 28-year-old right-hander is holding the Eastern League to a .202 average

Chris Hernandez and Romulo Sanchez combined for three perfect innings

The Curve (10-11) put the game away in the fourth when Randy Ruiz and Neil Walker hit back-to-back RBI doubles off Connecticut starter Nick Pereira

Ruiz went 2-for-4 with a run scored, and David Parrish hit a three-run homer in the eighth

Steven Pearce, who leads the Minor Leagues with 11 home runs, made his Double-A debut for Altoona in the ninth as a pinch-hitter and struck out

Connecticut's John Bowker led off the fourth with a home run and Jake Wald doubled home a run in the fifth

Pereira (0-2) took the loss after surrendering three runs - two earned - on three hits and three walks in five innings

The Connecticut Defenders hosted the Altoona Curve on Tuesday after a league-wide day off on Monday
The Defenders would send RHP Nick Pereira to the mound against Curve RHP Kip Bouknight

Bouknight would put forth a solid effort en route to a 6-2 victory, as the Defenders would drop their second in a row

The Curve got to Pereira first
Leadoff batter 2B Jason Bowers led the game off with a walk, stole second base and would advance to third on a throwing error by C Todd Jennings
A batter later, OF Brett Roneberg would hit an RBI groundout to score Bowers from third and give Altoona the early lead

After two scoreless innings, the Curve would strike again the top of the fourth inning
Roneberg would be in the midst of the action again
He’d lead the inning of with an infield single
1B Randy Ruiz would line a double passed a diving Ishikawa at first base that would score Roneberg all the way from first
The very next batter 3B Neil Walker would deliver a line drive double to left field that would score Ruiz for the second run of the inning
After walking the next batter OF Adam Boeve, Pereira would settle down to induce a 6-4-3 double play and a fly out to end the inning with no further damage
The Curve would lead it 3-0

But in the bottom of the inning the Defenders would get a run back
OF John Bowker, after swinging and driving one deep to right field that curved foul, was able to connect on the very next swing and keep it fair for a solo home run over the right-center field wall
It would be his team leading 4th homer of the season

Then in the bottom of the fifth inning the Defenders would tack on an additional run
C Todd Jennings worked out a 2-out walk and 2B Jake Wald would follow with a double to right field, scoring Jennings to cut the lead to 3-2

The score would remain the same until the seventh inning
With RHP Osiris Matos on in relief and the first two batters of the inning retired on outfield put outs, Walker worked a 2-out walk
Matos then got ahead of Boeve with no balls and two strikes, but batter interference was called on Jennings, allowing Boeve to take first base
The error by the catcher would come back to haunt the Defenders as opposing C Dave Parish drove one deep down the left field line that just stayed inside the foul pole for a three-run blast
On his second home run of the year the Curve would extend their lead to 4 runs

The 6-2 score would hold up to be the final score

Chris Hernandez and Romulo Sanchez would combine to keep the final three innings scoreless for the Defenders, without surrendering a single hit and striking out one batter a piece in the victory

Nick Pereira (L, 0-2) took the loss for the Defenders going 5 innings, giving up 5 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), walking three and striking out 3 batters

Kip Bouknight (W, 2-0) captured the win pitching 6 innings, scattering 4 hits, 2 runs, walking 1 and striking out 5

The Defenders dropped their second in a row with the loss

Game 2 is scheduled for a 6.35pm start time on Wednesday May 2

Catchers take a beating throughout the course of a season, and the Curve’s Dave Parrish had a particularly tough afternoon Saturday at Binghamton when the barrel of a bat hit him and broke his nose

Parrish, who didn’t even go on the disabled list, showed how tough he is in his first game back Tuesday night
Broken nose and all, Parrish drilled a three-run homer in the eighth inning that gave Altoona plenty of insurance in a 6-2 win over Connecticut

Manager Tim Leiper returned to lead the Curve after missing the past three games for personal reasons
Pirates roving infield coordinator Tony Beasley went 1-1 filling in as Altoona’s interim manager

The Curve led 3-2 entering the eighth inning before Parrish’s two-out blast broke things open
Altoona got things going with two outs as Neil Walker walked and Adam Boeve reached on catcher’s interference to set up Parrish’s homer

Altoona starter Kip Bouknight (2-0) turned in another strong performance to earn the win
He allowed two runs on four hits with five strikeouts and one walk over six innings

The Curve bullpen closed out the four-hitter as Chris Hernandez worked two scoreless innings and Romulo Sanchez tossed a perfect ninth

Connecticut starter Nick Pereira (0-2) gave up three runs - two earned - in five innings for the loss

Jason Bowers walked and scored on Brett Roneberg’s RBI groundout for the Curve in the first inning

Randy Ruiz doubled home Roneberg in the fourth, then scored when Walker followed with a double for a 3-0 lead

Connecticut scored single runs in the fourth and fifth off Bouknight, getting a solo homer from John Bowker and RBI double from Jake Wald

Ruiz went 2-for-4 for Altoona, while Bowker had two of the Defenders’ four hits

It happened so fast that it drew a couple of double takes and head turns in the press box
And it was a play that changed the entire complexion of Tuesday night's game
With two outs, a runner on and an 0-2 count on Altoona's Adam Boeve in the eighth inning, Connecticut catcher Todd Jennings was called for catcher's interference when Boeve's bat hit his glove, allowing Boeve to reach first base
The play prolonged the inning just long enough for Dave Parrish to belt a three-run home run on Osiris Matos' first offering to him and the Altoona Curve defeated the Defenders, 6-2, in an Eastern League game at Dodd Stadium

At the time, the Defenders (7-12) were trying to claw back from a one-run deficit, having scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings after falling behind 3-0 in the fourth

“It must have been the right call because T.J. Jennings didn't argue
It hit his glove” Connecticut manager Dave Machemer said
“He would have said something if it didn't
I couldn't tell
A lot of times, I can't tell from where I am
I'm not going to blame the loss on that, though”

What may have to take some of the blame is the Defenders' offense, which continues to be unable to string together quality at-bats
Connecticut managed just four hits, one a solo home run by John Bowker to lead off the fourth
They put consecutive batters on base just once, when Jennings walked and came around to score on a double by Jake Wald in the fifth

“We need to put more good at-bats together” Machemer said
“I think guys need to be a little more competitive up there
They need to dig in and it's not just going to happen
They need to go out there and battle
We didn't have a lot of that tonight”

Wald, who played second base for the first time since two years ago in Single-A San Jose, said the team, which has yet to win more than two games in a row, has to be happy with hitting the ball hard in the early part of the season
“We hit a lot of balls hard today that got caught” Wald said
“It's just one of those unfortunate things that happens
We try to take the same approach every time
If you hit the ball hard and it gets caught, there's not much you can do about it
This game will eat you alive if you get upset about that”

And More
Connecticut shortstop Mark Minicozzi made his Double-A debut after starting the season on the disabled list with a wrist injury, with Wald moving across the bag to second - Minicozzi went 0-for-4, but Machemer said the situation will remain as it was on Tuesday
Brian Horwitz entered the game tied with Reading's Jesus Merchan for second in the league with a .365 batting average, behind only Portland's Jacoby Ellsbury, the Red Sox' much-ballyhooed outfield prospect - Ellsbury entered Tuesday hitting .455 and is tops in the Eastern League in hits, doubles, on-base percentage and OPS - Ellsbury was not in Tuesday's starting lineup against Bowie - the Sea Dogs will visit Dodd for the first time later this month
Steven Pearce was a late scratch from the starting lineup for Altoona after being called up from Single-A Lynchburg earlier in the day - Pearce, the Pirates' sixth-ranked prospect according to Baseball America, hit 11 home runs in April, the most of any affiliated minor league player - Pearce pinch hit and struck out in the ninth

Sitting in his office, Connecticut Defenders manager Dave Machemer has two action figures on his desk of R. Lee Ermey, the former Marine drill sergeant made famous by his role in Full Metal Jacket
The 12-inch tall action figures bark out commands and criticism, expressing displeasure with the lack of discipline
The lack of discipline the action figures speak of could easily be juxtaposed from the Marines to the Defenders lineup, which once again failed to string together quality at-bats in Connecticut's 6-2 loss to the Altoona Curve Tuesday night at Dodd Stadium

"We need to put more good ABs together" Machemer said
"I think guys need to be more competitive up there; guys need to dig in
It's not just going to happen
Guys need to go up there and battle and they need to compete
We didn't have a lot of that tonight"

Early struggles

Starter Nick Pereira (0-2) gave up a run in the first and two more in the fourth, putting the Defenders in an early hole

Connecticut responded with one run in the fourth and fifth innings to cut the Curve's lead to one

John Bowker, opened the fourth with a solo home run, one of his two hits on the evening
He singled in his first at-bat against Kip Bouknight
After a fastball inside, Bowker turned on another fastball, hitting it foul down the right field line and narrowly missing a home run by a few feet
"I got it to two strikes and he threw me a hanging slider" Bowker said
"And I got it pretty good
I stayed back on it, pretty much"

Neither team was able to get on the board until the eighth when it appeared that the Defenders were going to have an easy inning
Osiris Matos came on in relief and got two quick fly ball outs
Neil Walker worked a full-count walk before Adam Boeve reached on catcher's interference against Todd Jennings
Jennings' glove made contact with Boeve, putting runners on first and second with two out
David Parrish, son of former Detroit Tigers all-star Lance Parrish, crushed Matos' first pitch down the left field line for a three-run homer to cement the win

The game also marked the first game at second base by Jake Wald in nearly two years
Outside of playing there on a couple of occasions during the season, Wald's last official game at second came on May 13, 2005 while playing for Single-A San Jose
Wald moved from short with the activation of Mark Minicozzi, who sustained wrist injury during Spring Training in Arizona
Minicozzi was 0-for-4
"I found out when I got here Tuesday" Wald said of the switch
"The only thing that is different is that I'm on the other side of the bag"

Notes
Before the game, Altoona recalled first baseman Steven Pearce from Single-A Lynchburg - Pearce, who was hitting .347 with 24 RBI, is second in the minors in home runs with 11 - he is one behind Kit Pellow of Saraperos de Saltillo of the Mexican League - Pearce was in the original lineup, but did not make it to the ballpark in time - he pinch hit in the ninth inning, striking out swinging against Brian Anderson
Brian Horwitz extended his hitting streak to eight games with a sixth inning bloop single - he's hitting .355 (11-for-31) during the streak, but his average has actually gone down during the hit streak
The starters for Wednesday's game are Altoona RHP Luis Munoz (2-0, 2.49) against Connecticut RHP Ben Cox (0-2, 4.20)
First pitch at Dodd Stadium is 6.35pm
The teams will end the three-game set with a 12.35pm start on Thursday