Erie had the early lead in the first inning, but left a lot on the table. With the bases loaded and no outs to start the night, Erie could only manage one run, a sacrifice fly by Kerry Carpenter.
Omar Cruz locked in from the bases-loaded jam and kept Erie from collecting a hit for the rest of his start. Cruz (2-2) worked six innings to earn the win for Altoona.
Altoona kept a consistent attack against Erie pitching. A.J. Ladwig let up four runs in the second inning through a triple by Matthew Fraizer and a three-run home run by Connor Kaiser. In the third inning, Altoona struck Ladwig again for two runs. Mason Martin doubles in one run, and Fraizer singled in another after an error extended the inning.
Ladwig let up one final run in the fifth inning. Jack Suwinski doubled to start the frame, and Carter Bins single to plate the run. Ladwig (5-5) was hit for seven runs, a season high.
Another unearned run scored against Brad Bass in the sixth inning. With a runner at first base, Diego Castillo singled to left field, and an Erie error allowed the runner to score from first base.
Ruben Garcia took the next two innings for Erie, but was hit hard. Garcia let up a solo home run to Fraizer in the seventh inning, and a two-run home run to Castillo in the eighth. Cale Coshow finished the eighth, and went on to log a perfect ninth for Erie.
The offense tried to stage another late charge, this time in the seventh inning. With two outs, Erie collected five consecutive hits, including a two-run home run from Josh Lester and an RBI double by Riley Greene. Alex Manasa let up all three runs for Altoona, but went on to log a scoreless eighth inning.
Erie made noise again in the ninth inning, when Josh Lester knocked his second two-run home run of the game. It was the fifth multi-home run game for Lester in his career, and the second in less than a week. Riley Greene later followed with an RBI double to chase Manasa from the game. Shea Murray finished the night with a pair of quick outs to finish the night.
Erie and Altoona continue the series on Wednesday at UPMC Park. It will be another Bark at the Park night, as Fans can bring well-behaved, leashed dogs to the game. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.