Spikes hang tough to top Jammers in extras
JAMESTOWN, NY - The State College Spikes came back from an early deficit and withstood a late Jamestown Jammers rally that sent the game to extra innings before taking advantage of Jamestown wildness to beat the Jammers in 11 innings, 6-4, in a Labor Day matchup on Monday evening at Russell Diethrick Park.
State College (47-26) scored both 11th inning runs without the benefit of a hit, as Jamestown (42-31) reliever Axel Diaz (4-3) walked four batters, hit one and threw a wild pitch to help the Spikes score twice with two outs. Pinch-runner Luis Perez scored the go-ahead run on the wild pitch, while Jimmy Bosco, who delivered three hits on the night, knocked in his second run with a bases-loaded walk.
Mitch Harris (4-1) stranded the winning run on third in the ninth inning and left runners at second and third in the tenth to earn the win for State College. Harris allowed two hits and a walk, but struck out two in the process. Jacob Booden (4) pitched a perfect ninth inning for the save.
The Spikes had gone to extra innings after yielding two runs to the Jammers in the eighth inning on an Edwin Espinal double and Jin-De Jhang sacrifice fly.
State College rebounded from an early 2-0 deficit to take the lead on back-to-back RBI doubles from Bosco and Alex De Leon in the sixth inning. David Washington then added to his league-leading RBI total with an infield single to knock in his 50th run of the year to extend the margin to 4-2.
Arturo Reyes started for the Spikes and went five innings on the mound, allowing two runs on six hits, two walks and one hit batsman. Reyes also struck out two batters.
Diaz took the loss for Jamestown, striking out one batter.
Despite State College's victory, the Jammers remained in the New York-Penn League Wild Card lead by one game over Lowell. The Spikes will face the Wild Card team in the NYPL Semifinal Series starting on Friday.
State College faces Jamestown in the second game of a three-game series at Russell Diethrick Park on Tuesday at 6:05 p.m. The Spikes' starting pitcher has not yet been determined, as the club is setting its rotation in advance of the postseason. Jamestown will go with left-hander Cody Dickson (2-0) on the hill.
Fans can now purchase Four-Game Playoff Packs, as well as individual playoff game tickets, in anticipation of all potential Spikes' home games during the 2013 NYPL playoffs. Four-Game Playoff Packs start as low as just $16 per seat and include a $2 per game savings off the single-game price. In addition, each seat purchased as part of a Four-Game Playoff Pack will come with a free, limited edition 2013 Spikes playoff t-shirt while supplies last.
Individual playoff game tickets are available for each of the four potential home playoff games, which will be sold as Games A, B, C and D until exact dates and times are known. Single-game playoff ticket prices will be the same as regular season prices.
Four-Game Playoff Packs and individual playoff game tickets will also be able to be purchased at the Spikes Box Office by calling (814) 272-1711 or by visiting in person. Fans can also reserve their Playoff Packs and individual tickets online at State College Spikes.com.
Catch all of the action on Tuesday via the Spikes Radio Network, presented by Penn State Sports Medicine, at 5:50 p.m. with Spikes Live, presented by Mount Nittany Health, on the air from Russell Diethrick Park. The Spikes' radio broadcast can also be heard worldwide through the "Listen Live" link on StateCollegeSpikes.com, provided by 95.3 FM 3WZ.