FROM THE ALTOONA CURVE:
Top Pirates pitching prospect Anthony Solometo struck out seven in five innings, however, Somerset took an 8-1 win over the Curve on Saturday night at TD Bank Ballpark. With the loss, Altoona remains one game back of Erie in the Southwest Division standings and have dropped 4-of-5 games at Somerset this week.
Matt Fraizer and Matt Gorski gave Solometo an early 1-0 lead when Fraizer walked and Gorski tripled him home with a shot off the wall in left-center. The 20-year-old left-hander, who hails from Sicklerville, NJ approximately an hour and ten minutes south of Somerset, was promoted from High-A Greensboro and struck out Jasson Dominguez to start his night on the mound. After allowing a single to rehabbing Yankees outfielder Harrison Bader, he induced a double play ball to finish off his first inning with the Curve.
Somerset tied the game in the second on a homer from Tyler Hardman and then added another on a sacrifice fly from Aaron Palensky. Solometo came back with a 1-2-3 third inning before allowing a pair of unearned runs in the fourth inning to make it 4-1.
Solometo took the loss in his team debut, scattering six hits and one walk over his five innings of work. His seven strikeouts were one shy of matching his career-high.
Altoona’s offense struggled to solve Somerset starter Clayton Beeter, who allowed just three hits and two walks and struck out seven in 5.2 innings to pick up the win.
Somerset put the game away with a pair of home runs in the seventh off Braeden Ogle to take a commanding 8-1 lead.
Fraizer paced Altoona’s offense with two hits, including a double, and two walks. He earned his 11th multi-hit game of the season in the defeat.
Altoona wraps up their 12-game road trip on Sunday afternoon with the Somerset Patriots, Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, at 1:05 p.m. Somerset will send RHP Chase Hampton to the mound with Brad Case slated to start a bullpen day for the Curve.
