Spikes fall to Scrappers in "State Puft" jerseys
STATE COLLEGE, PA - The State College Spikes turned into the "State Puft Marshmallow Men" on Friday, but saw another comeback attempt foiled by the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in an 8-5 defeat at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
The "Marshmallow Men" jerseys were up for bids during the game as part of Ghostbusters Night, with the Jersey-off-the-Back Auction presented by PSECU to benefit Children's Miracle Network.
The Spikes (18-10) trailed 8-2 going into the bottom of the ninth, but got to within three thanks to Ricardo Bautista's single and Danny Hudzina's two-run triple. State College then put the tying run on deck, but Andy Young's groundout ended the game.
Mahoning Valley (10-18) broke the game open in the seventh, with a two-run double by Jodd Carter and a pair of errors leading to a four-run frame.
Carter knocked in a total of three runs on the game, with his first-inning sacrifice fly starting the scoring. Jeremy Martinez knotted the game in the bottom of the first with a bases-loaded walk, and produced two hits on the game for the "Marshmallow Men."
Spikes starter Carson Cross (2-3) took the loss, allowing three runs, two of them earned, on six hits and a walk. The right-hander also struck out three batters in the effort.
Juan Hillman started and yielded one unearned run over four innings for Mahoning Valley. Ryan Colegate (1-2) then followed Hillman on the mound and picked up the win with 2 2/3 innings of one-run relief. Colegate allowed two hits while striking out three batters.
Despite the loss, the Spikes maintained the best record in the New York-Penn League.
The three hour, 39 minute game was eight minutes shy of the Spikes' franchise record for longest nine-inning contest.
Saturday, the Spikes finish up their three-game home series against the Scrappers. Right-hander Steven Farinaro (3-0) gets the ball for State College, while right-hander Luis Jimenez (0-3) goes to the hill for Mahoning Valley.
Fans will be looking forward to seeing Tim "Wild Thang" Lepard and Team GhostRiders once again, as the Cowboy Monkey Rodeo comes back to State College on Saturday. The return of this unique act, featuring monkeys riding dogs herding sheep in an unforgettably entertaining experience, is presented by Stone Valley Construction, LLC.
Plus, fans will enjoy a fantastic FIREWORKS show after Saturday's game, presented by Vision Creative Solutions, and kids can run the bases thanks to Clinical Outcomes Group, Inc.
It's also Ed Randall's Fans for the Cure Night, where fans can join in raising awareness of prostate cancer, as well as Ag Night. Every fan will also be a winner on Scratch N' Win Saturday, presented by P.J. Harrigan's, as each fan receives a scratch-off card with a great Spikes prize or discount on it, with a grand prize of Spikes season tickets.
Tickets to Saturday'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 Saturday 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.