First Place Yard Goats Drop Curve 9-0 on Sunday
WP: Eiberson Castellano (4-2)
LP: Alessandro Ercolani (3-1)
S: Stu Flesland III (1)
Hartford, CT - Eiberson Castellano fired six scoreless innings, Stu Flesand III went three scoreless and Bryant Betancourt and GJ Hill each homered as the Hartford Yard Goats defeated the Altoona Curve 9-0 on Sunday afternoon at Dunkin’ Park. The Yard Goats took four of six games against the Curve and have won 10 of their last 13 games to lead the Eastern League’s Northeast Division. Hartford will start a six-game road trip in Portland, Maine on Tuesday and return home to Dunkin’ Park on June 9th.
The game remained scoreless throughout the first five innings, thanks in part to a defensive gem by Hartford in the top of the fourth. After Yard Goats starter Eiberson Castelanno issued a walk to Titus Dumitru, Omar Alfanzo lined a single to left field. Curve manager Robisoon Chirinos waves Dumitru home, but Hartford’s left fielder Connor Capel fired a one bounce strike to cut him down and preserve the scoreless tie.
Hartford broke through in the bottom of the sixth inning. Dyan Jorge led off with a single to left-center field and later advanced to third after a stolen base and then Andy Perez lined a base hit into left. Perez then stole second, putting two runners into scoring position. During Connor Capel’s at-bat, Altoona right-hander Alessandro Ercolani was called for a balk, allowing Jorge to score the game's first run. Capel then hit by a pitch, and moments later a wild pitch brought Perez home while Capel advanced to third. With Hartford holding a 2-0 lead, Capel took matters into his own hands and stole home, extending the advantage to 3-0.
The Yard Goats added to their lead in the bottom of the seventh when Bryant Betancourt launched his 10th home run of the season, a towering solo shot to the top deck in right field to make it 4-0. Altoona recorded two quick outs after the homer, but Hartford kept the inning alive with a two-out rally. GJ Hill and Dyan Jorge each drew walks before Andy Perez lined a single into right field. Jorge raced home from second on the hit, stretching the Yard Goats’ lead to 5-0.
Hartford put the game out of reach in the bottom of the eighth inning. Connor Capel led off with a single and Benny Montgomery followed with a base hit to right field. After a wild pitch advanced both runners, Bryant Betancourt lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home Capel and make it 6-0. Jimmy Obertop then grounded out to shortstop Keiner Delgado, allowing Montgomery to score from third and extend the lead to seven. Following a single by Jose Torres, GJ Hill put an exclamation point on the inning, launching a two-run homer to the second deck to cap a four-run frame and give the Yard Goats a commanding 9-0 advantage.
The Yard Goats are off on Monday before traveling to Portland, Maine to take on the Boston Red Sox affiliate the Portland Sea Dogs for a six games series on Tuesday at 6pm. RHP Jake Brooks will be on the mound for the Yard Goats. The game will be broadcast on the free Audacy app.