Spikes' pitching tandem keys win over Black Bears
GRANVILLE, WV - Jorge Rodriguez tossed six scoreless innings to start the game for the State College Spikes, and Luke Harrison finished with three strong frames to earn his first pro save as the Spikes topped the West Virginia Black Bears, 3-1, on Thursday night at Monongalia County Ballpark.
The win was the third in a row for the Spikes (13-12), who also earned their fourth straight road victory. State College is now above the .500 mark for the first time this season, and just two games out of first in the New York-Penn League's Wild Card race.
Rodriguez (2-2) allowed three hits, including a double and a triple, and a walk during his outing. However, the right-hander stranded three runners in scoring position and set down 10 straight batters at one point to earn the victory. Rodriguez also recorded three strikeouts on the night.
Harrison (1) gave up a run on Logan Hill's fielder's choice in the eighth and three total hits, but the Indiana product also struck out a batter in his longest professional outing.
Casey Grayson saw both his 23-game on-base streak and his 14-game hitting streak come to a close on Thursday, but still contributed both of the Spikes' runs batted in. Grayson plated a run in the third inning with a sacrifice fly to center field, then brought in another in the fifth on a fielder's choice.
State College got on the board in the second when Cole Lankford doubled and scored on a West Virginia (10-15) error.
Orlando Olivera and Josh Swirchak each produced multiple hits for the Spikes, with Olivera notching his second straight multi-hit game and Swirchak earning a triple as part of his night.
West Virginia starter Bret Helton (1-4) took the loss after allowing all three State College runs, two of them earned, on four hits and a walk. Helton also struck out five batters over five innings of work.
Neither team found success with runners in scoring position, as the Spikes finished 0-for-10 and the Black Bears 0-for-8 in that category.
Friday, the Spikes will seek their first three-game sweep of the season as they face West Virginia in a 7:05 p.m. matchup at Monongalia County Ballpark to close the series between the two teams. State College will have right-hander Dailyn Martinez (2-1) on the hill, while the Black Bears will go with right-hander Dario Agrazal (2-1).
The Spikes return home on Saturday, July 18 to start a three-game homestand with a 7:05 p.m. matchup against the Batavia Muckdogs. The first 1,000 fans of all ages will receive a Rowan Wick Home Run King Poster presented by Penn State Hershey Medical Group when gates open to the public at 6:00 p.m.
Plus, the Spikes will welcome Corey Feldman, the star of a string of 1980's movie blockbusters, to meet and greet fans at Sunday's 6:05 p.m. game, thanks to Comcast Spotlight. Corey and his Angels will then perform a musical set after the game on the concourse.
Tickets for the upcoming three-game homestand, as well as every game remaining on the Spikes' 10th Season home schedule, 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 Hershey Medical Group, at 6:50 p.m. with Spikes Live, presented by Mount Nittany Health, on the air from Monongalia County Ballpark. The Spikes' radio broadcast can also be heard worldwide through the "Listen Live" link on StateCollegeSpikes.com, provided by the club's flagship radio home, 95.3 FM 3WZ, and on the 3WZ mobile apps, available on Google Play and the App Store.