Spikes' comeback falls short in loss to Scrappers
STATE COLLEGE, PA - Down 7-0 going into the bottom of the seventh, the State College Spikes staged a furious rally to bring the tying run to the plate in the ninth but fell to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, 7-4, on Thursday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Despite the loss, the Spikes still hold the best record in the New York-Penn League at 18-9, and lead the NYPL Pinckney Division by three games over Williamsport.
Mahoning Valley (9-18) built its lead with a two-run triple from Silento Sayles in the third inning, and five more runs in the seventh. Erlin Cerda's RBI fielder's choice led to a bases-loaded triple from Yonathan Mendoza that plated three more runs. Nate Winfrey then singled in Mendoza to extend the lead to seven runs.
However, State College stopped a 28-inning scoreless streak in the seventh when Ricardo Bautista knocked in a run with a groundout, and added another run from an Anthony Ray groundout in the eighth to get within 7-2.
The Spikes then revved up the offense in the ninth, with back-to-back run-scoring doubles from Jeremy Martinez and Bautista trimming the margin to three. Elier Rodriguez then drew a two-out walk to set things up for pinch-hitter Vince Jackson, but a flyout to left ended the game.
State College had opportunities to end their shutout spell early in the contest, but left ten runners on base through the first four frames.
Spikes starter John Kilichowski (1-1) took the loss, his first as a professional, after yielding two runs, one of them earned, on four hits and three walks over five innings of work. The runs were the first scored against Kilichowski as a pro, but the left-hander also recorded four strikeouts.
Mahoning Valley starter Triston McKenzie lasted four innings, throwing 77 pitches in the process, but escaped unscathed in the run column despite five hits and five walks against him. McKenzie also struck out three batters.
Scrappers reliever Michael Letkewicz (1-0) then took over and earned the win with three innings of work in which he yielded one run on two hits while striking out two.
Bautista recorded a pair of doubles for the Spikes to up his season total to a league-leading 10. Jeremy Martinez also doubled twice for State College.
The Spikes now look to get back on track in middle game of their three-game set against the Scrappers on Friday. State College will send right-hander Carson Cross (2-2) to the mound for his team-leading sixth start of the year. Mahoning Valley will go with left-hander Juan Hillman (2-0).
Fans of pop culture and games will be satisfied by two outstanding promotions at the ballpark. The Spikes will pay tribute to one of the great movie franchises of all time with Ghostbusters Night featuring a "State Puft Marshmallow Men"-Themed Jersey-off-the-Back Auction presented by PSECU to benefit Children's Miracle Network.
The jerseys, giving a State College-centered spin on the monstrous figure at the end of the original film, will terrify opponents beyond the capacity for rational thought as well as going up for bids in a silent auction throughout the game, with the winners receiving their jerseys on the field right after the final out.
Plus, the uniforms will include special "State Puft Marshmallow Men" caps, which will be put up for bids in a Game-Used Hat Auction presented by HRI, Inc. to benefit Coaches vs. Cancer at Penn State on Saturday, July 22.
In addition, Friday features a special discount and early entry for Pokémon GO fanatics. Pokémon GO players can get $5 off a ticket to Friday's gamewith the code "ASH", and get into the ballpark at 5 p.m. to start tracking down even more additions to their Pokémon collections. Plus, there will be Lure Modules dropped throughout the night at the park, which already features PokeStops at the ticket office and at the Mount Nittany Conservancy sign down the left field line.
It's also a 4 for $44 Friday Northwest Family Value Ticket Package night, with four Diamond Club or Field Box seats, four hot dogs and four small sodas available for just $44 thanks to Northwest and MAJIC 99.
After the game, kids can run the bases thanks to Clinical Outcomes Group, Inc.
Tickets to Friday's game, as well as every game on the Spikes' 2016 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 Health, 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 the club's flagship radio home, Newsradio 1390 WRSC, as well as the TuneIn Radio app.
Spikes fans can also catch home games in 2016 even when outside Central PA thanks to the new partnership with MiLB.TV to stream all games online to paid subscribers of the service. MiLB.TV offers fans the chance to follow the game's future stars across Minor League Baseball, with more than 5,000 games streamed live, including affiliates of all 30 MLB teams, and complete game archives available on demand. Fans can subscribe to MiLB.TV for the whole season at the new lower price of $39.99, or subscribe monthly at $12.99 a month.