Anderson guides Spikes to series-tying win
STATE COLLEGE, PA - Will Anderson retired the first 17 batters he faced and tossed 7 1/3 scoreless innings as the State College Spikes tied the New York-Penn League Semifinal Series at one game apiece with a 3-0 win over the Hudson Valley Renegades on Thursday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
The Spikes' win forces a deciding third game in the best-of-three series, which will take place on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The winner of that contest will face the Tri-City ValleyCats in the New York-Penn League Championship Series beginning on Sunday.
Anderson (1-0), the Spikes' 2014 Pitcher of the Year, continued his stellar regular season form as he did not allow a baserunner until Alec Sole singled to right field with two outs in the sixth inning. The right-hander gave up a total of three hits and struck out four batters to earn his first professional postseason win.
Josh Lucas (1) closed out the game for the Spikes by allowing one hit over 1 2/3 innings for the save.
State College took the lead in the first inning when Darren Seferina led off with a single, took two bases on a wild pitch, and scored on Nick Thompson's groundout. The Spikes then extended the lead to 2-0 in the second when Robelys Reyes tripled and scored on Jhohan Acevedo's sacrifice fly to center. In the sixth inning, Thompson scored State College's last run thanks to a Hudson Valley error.
Jake Stone went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Spikes in his return to the lineup after pitching in the 15th inning of the Spikes' win on Saturday in the regular season home finale.
Renegades starter Hunter Wood (0-1) took the loss after yielding all three Spikes runs, two of them earned, on four hits and a walk while striking out five over six innings.
Braxton Lee was the only Hudson Valley player with multiple hits, including a double in the sixth.
Right-hander Fernando Baez, who went 2-2 with a 3.94 ERA for the Spikes in the regular season, is scheduled to get the ball for State College on Friday night. Hudson Valley has not yet announced a starting pitcher for Friday's game.
Tickets for Game 3 on Friday 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 6:35 p.m. with Spikes Live, presented by Mount Nittany Health, on the air from Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. 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.