The Fisher Cats wasted a brilliant effort by Yohan Pino in the first game of Friday's doubleheader, losing 1-0 to the Altoona Curve in Eastern League action at People's Natural Gas Field in Altoona, Pa.

The second showing was even worse, as New Hampshire lost 8-1 to the Western Division foe. Both games were seven innings.

Pino (5-6) pitched six innings of one-run ball, striking out nine and allowing just five hits. He took his sixth loss of the season, but it might have been his finest performance yet.

The right-hander's opposition, Phil Irwin, was even more impressive. Irwin (3-7) earned the victory after needing just 76 pitches to get through seven innings, mowing down nine Fisher Cats along the way. He allowed just two hits, one each to Ryan Goins and Brian Van Kirk, who hit his 21st double.

The Fisher Cats (41-66) never sent more than four men to the plate in any inning. They had a chance to score in the fourth, but Brad Glenn struck out swinging to strand Jake Marisnick on third base.

Pino's only mistakes came in the second inning, when he allowed four straight men to reach base and score the game's only run.

In the late game, which was delayed 43 minutes due to rain, John Stilson (2-3) lasted just four innings, allowing five earned runs on seven hits to raise his ERA to 4.85. The Curve (53-52) scored another three on relievers Ronald Uviedo and Fernando Hernandez to cruise to the easy victory.

Mike McDade provided the little offense the Fisher Cats mustered, driving in John Tolisano on a first-inning single and later doubling. Tolisano, Marisnick, and Kevin Howard added New Hampshire's other three hits.

The two teams square off again tonight at 7 p.m.