Spikes unleash offense in win over Muckdogs

Yariel Gonzalez produced four hits, including his first home run of the season, and the State College Spikes delivered 15 hits as a team in a 9-1 victory over the Batavia Muckdogs on Thursday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Gonzalez's long ball came in the fourth inning when he drove a ball off the batter's eye beyond the center-field wall, and increased the State College (2-2) lead to 2-0 at that point. The returnee from the 2016 NYPL championship team notched the first four-hit game for the Spikes since Jose Martinez did so in back-to-back games on July 17 and 18 of last year.

Joshua Lopez also shone on offense with five productive at-bats on the night. Lopez collected three hits, including a double, and added a pair of RBI groundouts.
The Spikes also receive a strong mound effort. Starter Anthony Shew (1-0) tossed five shutout innings to earn the win. Shew yielded just three hits while striking out seven batters on 65 pitches, 45 of them for strikes.
Keaton Siomkin followed with two innings of scoreless, one-hit ball before Noel Gonzalez finished with two innings of work. State College struck out 12 batters as a staff on the night.
Batavia (3-1) took its first loss of the season, with only Marcos Rivera's solo home run in the ninth inning preventing a shutout.
Muckdogs starter Hunter Wells (0-1) took the loss after giving up two runs on four hits and a walk. Wells struck out two batters in the effort.
Appropriately enough, the matchup also occurred during the Spikes' first Bark in the Park Night, with 211 dogs in the ballpark.
The game was delayed 21 minutes at the outset by a drizzle in the State College area.
Friday, the Spikes and Muckdogs play the rubber match of their three-game series at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. State College will send right-hander Levi MaVorhis to the mound for his first start of the season. Batavia will go with right-hander Alberto Guerrero on the hill.
It will be Championship Celebration Night at the ballpark, presented by First National Bank. Fans can join the Spikes in paying homage to the 2016 NYPL championship team with a special trophy presentation before the 7:05 p.m. game, and the first 500 fans will share in the championship spoils with their very own NYPL Championship Replica Ring. After the game, the skies will light up with FIREWORKS presented by Fullington Bus Company on Clearfield County Night featuring a FREE Kids Zone! Plus, the 4 for $44 Friday Northwest Family Value Ticket Package will be available, giving fans four of the best seats in the ballpark, four hot dogs and four sodas for just $44.
Tickets for Friday's game, as well as every game on the Spikes' 2017 home schedule, are currently on sale through the Spikes Ticket Office by calling (814) 272-1711 or by visiting in person. Fans can also buy and download 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 2017 even when outside Central PA thanks to 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 use the promo code "SPIKES" to save $10 on the regular yearly price.