CURVE, Pa. — Ivan Brethowr hit the first of three Curve home runs to lead Altoona to a 9-4 win over the Reading Fightin Phils on Tuesday night at Peoples Natural Gas Field.

Matt Ager earned his third Double-A win with five innings of four-run ball in the win. Ager struck out seven, matching a season-high, and allowed six hits and two walks in the win.

The teams traded runs in the first five innings until Jack Brannigan tied the game with a solo homer in the fifth and then two batters later, Will Taylor slammed a solo homer off the videoboard in left-center to take a 6-5 lead. Altoona added a run in the seventh on an RBI single from Omar Alfonzo and two key insurance runs from Duce Gourson who singled home a pair in the eighth inning.

The Curve picked up nine runs on ten hits and five walks in the victory. Brethowr walked twice after his two-run homer and reached in three-of-four plate appearances. Brannigan and Alfonzo each recorded two-hit games. Gourson picked up two stolen bases in the win, giving him 22 total for the season, tied for fifth-most in the Eastern League.

After the strong start from Ager, the ball was handed over to Cy Nielson, who continued the stellar stuff, holding the Fightin’ Phils scoreless across 1.1 innings, allowing three walks. Nielson would leave runners on first and second before Andy Fox would hand the ball to Emmanuel Chapman to shut the threat down.

Chapman had one of his best relief appearances of the season, leaving the runners stranded in the 7th inning and striking out two across 1.2 innings, allowing a single baserunner to reach. In the 9th inning, Jake Shirk would get the ball to finish things for Altoona, allowing one hit and earning the Curve the 9-4 victory to start the second half.

Altoona has smacked 70 home runs in 70 games this season, putting them in range of the franchise record of 143 home runs hit by the 2022 Curve.