Radack homers, but Spikes fall to Lake Monsters
BURLINGTON, VT - Collin Radack smashed his first professional home run, but the State College Spikes saw their winning streak snapped at six games as they dropped an 8-6 decision to the Vermont Lake Monsters on Thursday night at Centennial Field.
Radack's three-run homer down the left field line extended the Spikes' (24-9) lead to 4-0 in the second inning. However, Vermont (12-21) battled back with a run in the bottom of the frame and three more in the fourth to take a 5-4 lead.
In the sixth inning, State College regained the lead. Alex De Leon led off the inning by reaching base on an error, and Rowan Wick followed with a single. Jake Stone then tied the game at 5-5 with an RBI groundout, and three batters later, Chase Raffield singled to score Wick and give the Spikes a 6-5 lead.
The Lake Monsters would tie the game at 6-6 on a double-play ball in the sixth, though, and would take the lead for good in the eighth on Yairo Munoz's solo homer to left and Jose Brizuela's run-scoring, two-out single.
Jake Stone extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a second-inning single for State College, while Rowan Wick stretched his on-base streak to 22 games, one game off the longest such string in the New York-Penn League this season.
Danny Diekroeger had two hits, including an RBI single in the first inning, for State College. Adam Ehrlich added a double for the Spikes.
Starter Cody Schumacher made his second straight start of five innings or more for State College, allowing five runs on eight hits, two walks and two hit batsmen while striking out two over five frames. Jacob Booden (1-2) took the loss in relief after yielding the last two Vermont runs on two hits and a hit batsman over two innings of work. Booden also struck out four batters.
Vermont's Michael Fagan (1-1) got the win in relief by retiring all six batters he faced over two innings, four via strikeout. Starter A.J. Burke gave up four runs on six hits and a walk while striking out three over five innings of work.
Max Kuhn also homered for the Lake Monsters in the third inning, with his solo shot starting the Vermont change in that stanza. Brett Vertigan, Trent Gilbert and Seong-Min Kim all had multiple hits for the Lake Monsters, with Kim delivering a two-run double in the third.
The loss was only the second that the Spikes have suffered over the last 15 games, and also snapped a five-game winning streak on the road. State College is now tied with Hudson Valley for the best record in the NYPL.
Friday, the Spikes and Lake Monsters complete their three-game series with a 7:05 p.m. matchup at Centennial Field. State College is slated to send right-hander Will Anderson (3-1), who has won his last three starts, to the mound. Vermont will go with left-hander Jerad Grundy (0-3).
After the series in Vermont finishes, the Spikes will head to Troy, NY for a three-game set with the Tri-City ValleyCats (Houston Astros), who topped the Spikes in last year's NYPL Championship Series.
The Spikes will then return to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for a five-game homestand beginning on Tuesday, July 22. The first 500 fans through the gates when they open at 6:00 p.m. for a 7:05 p.m. game against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Cleveland Indians) will receive a Spikes "Spiderman"-inspired T-shirt presented by T&B Medical on a T-Shirt Tuesday.
Fans will also be thrilled by Pyro Musical FIREWORKS, presented by VisitMyrtleBeach.com, on Friday, July 25, when the Spikes face the Auburn Doubledays (Washington Nationals) at 7:05 p.m. Plus, one lucky fan will win a trip to Myrtle Beach, SC on the 25th thanks to VistiMyrtleBeach.com as well.
The homestand concludes with the return of "Duck Dynasty" Cast Member Mountain Man on Saturday, July 26, presented by Service Master by Holobinko & Merry Maids and BIG Froggy 101. Mountain Man will meet and greet fans at the Spikes' 7:05 p.m. game that night against Auburn.
Tickets for the Spikes' upcoming homestand from July 22-26, as well as every Spikes home game on the 2014 slate, are currently on sale through the Spikes Box Office by calling (814) 272-1711 or by visiting in person. Fans can also buy and print single-game tickets by visiting StateCollegeSpikes.com.
Catch all of the action on Friday via the Spikes Radio Network, presented by Penn State Sports Medicine, at 6:50 p.m. with Spikes Live, presented by Mount Nittany Health, on the air from Centennial Field. The Spikes' radio broadcast can also be heard worldwide through the "Listen Live" link on StateCollegeSpikes.com, provided by 95.3 FM 3WZ, and on the 3WZ mobile apps, available on Google Play and the App Store.