Altoona

Reegie Corona's two-run double keyed a four-run second inning and Chase Wright tossed five strong innings to lead the Trenton Thunder to a 5-2 victory over Altoona last night in the Eastern League.

Friends of ours back from England reported finding a picture-postcard village unchanged since Chaucer, with charm deposited in layers like volcanic ash. "And we'll never forget our stroll in the Cotswolds," one said. Another friend is back after paying high prices to tour the Low Countries. Previously he'd visited the Kremlin, savored treasures of the Louvre, recalled Homer when adrift among the Greek isles and exchanged badinage with a gondolier in Venice. People our age, many of them retired, get around these days.

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Consecutive RBI singles by Trenton's Jorge Vazquez and Chris Malec keyed a four-run outburst in the sixth inning last night and led the Thunder to a 5-3 Eastern League win over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Altoona 8, Reading 7 ALTOONA, Pa. - Angel R. Gonzalez's two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth sent the Curve past the Phillies in the Eastern League. Jonel Pacheco had driven in three runs for Altoona with a bases-loaded double in the seventh.

StarKist never asked, but filmmaker Morgan Spurlock did, so on April 27, Altoona will change its name to Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever sold. That's the title of his latest documentary, about advertisers' publicity stunts. So, when the City Council of the Western Pennsylvania burg approved the deal on Wednesday, they created another real-life example. Only this time, Spurlock was the advertiser, promising a reported $25,000 for the police department and a special screening in exchange for a temporary name change.

In a town with a chocolate factory and an amusement park, you're supposed to have a little fun. In the end, that is what the Glen Mills players did, dancing and cutting down the net and getting long hugs from their coach, Tom Mann. But there were some nervous moments for Glen Mills before the defending state champion pulled out an 81-75 victory over Altoona to win the PIAA Class AAAA championship before a crowd of 7,389 at HersheyPark Arena last night. With big men Alonzo Goldston and Kevin Lewis in foul trouble for much of the game, Glen Mills turned to guards Frank Allen and Bobby Couvillion.

The origin of Bret DeStefano's nickname, "Bart," dates back about a decade, when he was playing in a Little League tournament for Northampton. "The P.A. announcer called me Bart DeScripto, " the Council Rock South lefthander said. "He got both my first and last name wrong. The first name stuck. " With his teammates chirping "C'mon, Bart" throughout Thursday's PIAA Class AAAA state baseball quarterfinal vs. Coatesville, DeStefano pitched the Golden Hawks past the Red Raiders, 5-1, at Spring-Ford's Ram Stadium.

The Glen Mills defense turned in its second straight sterling effort Friday night as the Bulls crushed host Altoona, 35-0. The Bulls gave up a total of 63 points in season-opening losses to Easton and Rutherford (Fla.) before bouncing back Sept. 18 with a 20-3 win over powerful Downingtown. "This win is just going to catapult us forward," Glen Mills coach Ken Banks said after his team beat the Whippets. Altoona was the victim of Glen Mills' momentum as the Bulls turned in an even better defensive effort Friday.

For those who remember better days in this old Pennsylvania Railroad town, a tour of downtown Altoona today is a sad trip, indeed. The railroad roundhouses and machine shops that literally put this place on the map are long gone. The city's only department store, Gable's, built in 1892, closed a decade ago. There are no more movie theaters. And Penneys, Sears and a host of smaller companies have gone out of business or moved to the suburbs, leaving behind empty buildings and deserted sidewalks.

Just when things looked hopeless and coach Renee Talley was second-guessing herself and her players were wondering how they could stop seemingly unstoppable Altoona, Coatesville came up with what may be the greatest eight minutes of basketball in the history of the school. Sparked by a full-court box press and a refusal to lose, the Raiders (29-1) outscored Altoona, 23-4, and turned what looked like certain defeat into victory. The PIAA Class AAAA girls' state championship win Friday left Talley and her players with tears streaming down their cheeks and the Mountain Lions (25-5)

The good people of Altoona have sold their souls to . . . Morgan Spurlock . Spurlock (left) is hawking his new product-placement documentary "POM Wonderful Presents the Greatest Movie Ever Sold," which closed out Cinefest last night. In a movie full of stunts, he added another one by buying the naming rights to our neighbors to the west for a reported $25,000. For 60 days starting April 27, Altoona will be renamed POM Wonderful Presents the Greatest Movie Ever Sold. Spurlock's doc opens in Philly on April 22. Spurlock chose Altoona because it's "a shining example of struggling cities all across America.

A visit to Wawa and Sheetz stores in Bethlehem, one of the few places in Pennsylvania where the convenience-store chains compete, finds both committed partisans and practical choices. "I use them both," said limo driver Bob Stahley, gassing up at the Sheetz on Schoenersville Road in Bethlehem, across the road and just up the hill from the Wawa. "I like Wawa's soft pretzels. But this side of the road is on the way to New York. " "They copy each other," said Charles Beegle, in a Pirates cap, in his Cable Service Co. truck.

Pennsylvania on Monday reported its first case of fungal meningitis amid a national outbreak, a patient who received an epidural injection of a steroid at a clinic in Altoona and is now hospitalized. Federal officials said Monday that two more drugs from the New England Compounding Center are being investigated, and urged doctors to contact patients who got any injections from the Massachusetts company. Fifteen people have died and 214 have been sickened in 15 states. - Don Sapatkin  

Not surprising, considering his lively bat and ability to find the outfield gaps, La Salle's Tyler Kozeniewski received interest from several Division I baseball programs. Georgia Southern offered the hard-slugging rightfielder a partial scholarship. Maryland, Virginia Commonwealth, and St. Joseph's also made inquiries. But as much as Kozeniewski enjoys being on the diamond, he says he wants to concentrate on hitting the books in college. "I'm going to Drexel to study business administration," the 18-year-old said.

The origin of Bret DeStefano's nickname, "Bart," dates back about a decade, when he was playing in a Little League tournament for Northampton. "The P.A. announcer called me Bart DeScripto, " the Council Rock South lefthander said. "He got both my first and last name wrong. The first name stuck. " With his teammates chirping "C'mon, Bart" throughout Thursday's PIAA Class AAAA state baseball quarterfinal vs. Coatesville, DeStefano pitched the Golden Hawks past the Red Raiders, 5-1, at Spring-Ford's Ram Stadium.

Mateen Johnson couldn't lose at Parx Casino's blackjack tables, winning $2,500 Friday night. But the 34-year-old Altoona man's luck ran out Saturday morning, when a Bensalem Township police officer "came across him" and arrested him on outstanding drug charges. Now, Johnson and his winnings are being held in Blair County Prison. Altoona police said that when Johnson cashed out on Friday, Parx officials checked his identification, learned of a warrant, and called police. But Johnson's arrest was strictly "a coincidence," Bensalem Sgt. Andrew Aninsman said Tuesday.

Jarrell Haywood settled in, stepped to the line, and knocked down two free throws to seal Cheltenham's 51-48 basketball win over Vaux on Tuesday at Plymouth Whitemarsh as part of the Jameer Nelson Philly.com/Rally Classic. Haywood's foul shots came with 20 seconds left in regulation, and the senior guard finished with 12 points. Nafis Walker scored a team-high 13. The Panthers trailed by 4 points at halftime before they rallied to outscore Vaux, 15-8, in the third quarter.

READING - Tuffy Gosewisch hit his 13th homer of the season and the Reading Phillies unleashed a 16-hit attack in rolling over the Altoona Curve, 11-1, in the Eastern League. Austin Hyatt (11-6) pitched six innings, allowing just one unearned run for the win. Rochester 8, Lehigh Valley 5 ROCHESTER, N.Y. - Pete Orr went 2 for 4 with a homer and two RBIs for the IronPigs, but it wasn't enough as the Red Wings won the International League contest. Clearwater 1, Lakeland 0 LAKELAND, Fla. - Jeremy Barnes' home run in the 11th inning broke a scoreless duel as the Threshers won the Florida State League game.

  HARRISBURG - Zoilo Almonte's first-inning grand slam was the highlight of the Trenton Thunder's 7-4 Eastern League victory over the Harrisburg Senators on Saturday night. Altoona 6, Reading 3 ALTOONA, Pa. - The Altoona Curve clinched their fourth consecutive Eastern League series with a win over the Reading Phillies. Tyson Brummett took the loss after allowing five runs in four innings. Greensboro 4, Lakewood 2 GREENSBORO, N.C. - Isaac Galloway's two-run homer off Austin Wright helped the Grasshoppers get past the BlueClaws in a South Atlantic League game.

  DURHAM, N.C. - Matt Moore struck out 10 in 62/3 innings to lead the Durham Bulls past the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, 6-4, in the International League on Sunday. Binghamton 7, Reading 4 BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - Juan Lagares was 3 for 3 with three RBIs as the Mets beat the Phillies in the Eastern League. Altoona 3, Trenton 2 ALTOONA, Pa. - Greg Picart's homer in the seventh lifted the Curve past the Thunder in the Eastern League.   Lehigh Valley 000 000 211 – 4 8 0 Durham 013 010 01x – 6 10 2 WP: Moore (3-0)