Flores homers, Spikes stay in playoff hunt

NILES, Ohio  - Luis Flores gave the State College Spikes a lead they would not relinquish with a three-run homer in the second, and the Spikes trimmed their deficit in the New York-Penn League Pinckney Division to two games with four left in the regular season as they topped the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, 8-1, on Thursday night at Eastwood Field.
Flores homered for the second consecutive at-bat after hitting a solo home run in his last at-bat of Wednesday night's game as he took an 0-2 pitch from Mahoning Valley (35-36) starter Daniel Espino (0-2) deep to right field. The long ball was the Spikes' (37-35) shortstop's second of the year, and he finished 2-for-5 with four runs batted in.

State College added onto the lead with Donivan Williams 's sacrifice fly in the fourth, then tacked on two more runs with Matt Duce 's double in the fifth and a two-out single from Flores in the same frame.
Dariel Gomez then capped of the Spikes' night with his third home run of the series and sixth of the season as he delivered a two-run shot to left. Gomez and Stanley Espinal both collected three hits in the game.
Mahoning Valley scored its lone run on a Joab Gonzalez RBI single in the fifth.
Enmanuel Solano (4-7) produced his fifth straight quality start with six innings of work for the win. Solano yielded one run, stopping his shutout streak at 13 innings, on four hits and a hit batsman while striking out two batters. The right-hander was coming off earning the New York-Penn League Pitcher of the Week honors for August 19-25 following his eight shutout innings on Saturday at Batavia.
Connor Lunn and Jack Ralston combined for three scoreless innings, two for Lunn, to complete the victory.
Espino, the Cleveland Indians' 2019 first-round draft choice, took the loss after giving up three runs on a total of four hits and three walks over three innings. The right-hander struck out six batters in the outing.
The Spikes outhit the Scrappers, 14-4, for the game.
Friday, the Spikes complete their three-game set at Eastwood Field against the Scrappers with a 7:05 p.m. matchup. Right-hander Scott Politz (3-3) gets the ball for State College against Mahoning Valley right-hander Brian Eicchorn (4-3).
Following the trip to Ohio to take on the Scrappers, the Spikes will face the Williamsport Crosscutters (Philadelphia Phillies) at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field on Saturday before returning to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for the regular season home finale on Sunday.
The 2019 regular season home schedule will go out with a bang on Sunday, as Lion Country Kia presents the chance for one "LuCKy" fan to drive home a winner with a lease on a new Kia as part of LuCKy's Kia Lease Giveaway II, and all fans will enjoy a fantastic FIREWORKS show after the game.
Plus, fans can bring their dogs to the ballpark as well for the fourth and final Bark in the Park Night of the year, presented by Metzger Animal Hospital, NEWSRADIO 1390 WRSC and the Centre Daily Times. Complete Bark in the Park policies and procedures are available online at StateCollegeSpikes.com.
The Spikes will also wear their special Bark in the Park Jerseys for the last time, featuring a collage of dog photos submitted by fans earlier this year. The jerseys have been up for bids throughout the 2019 season via the Spikes' partnership with LiveSource, and fans can place their bids through the end of the sixth inning on Sunday via the LiveSource app, available on Google Play and the App Store. Proceeds from the Bark in the Park Jersey Auction will benefit local animal rescues thanks to the Spikes' partnership with Metzger Animal Hospital.
It's also THON Night on Sunday, as Four Diamonds families and THON members will celebrate the start of the drive towards THON 2020. Fans can use the promo code THON when purchasing their tickets to donate a portion of the price to THON.
In addition, college students across Central PA can enjoy even more value with the College Student 3-2-1 Special. The College Student 3-2-1 Special offers any college student presenting a valid student ID at ticket and concessions windows $3 off their seat in any ballpark section, excluding the Pepsi Picnic Pavilion and Geisinger Champions Club, plus $2 regular sodas and $1 hot dogs all game long.
Tickets for Sunday's game are currently on sale through the Spikes Ticket Office. Tickets can be purchased by calling (814) 272-1711 or by visiting the Ticket Office in person from 9 a.m. to the end of the game on gamedays Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to the end of the game on gamedays Saturday and Sunday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on non-gamedays Monday through Friday.
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 Sports Medicine, Official Healthcare Provider of Penn State Athletics, at 6:50 p.m. with Spikes Live, presented by Mount Nittany Health, on the air from Eastwood Field. 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.