Spikes outlast Lake Monsters for 11-inning win
BURLINGTON, VT - The State College Spikes and Vermont Lake Monsters duked it out for 10 scoreless frames on Saturday night, but a trio of two-out runs helped the Spikes to a 3-2 win in 11 innings at Centennial Field.
Elier Rodriguez's RBI single to right scored Vince Jackson to start the State College (33-15) spurt, with Danny Hudzina's double and a subsequent passed ball doing the rest of the work.
The Spikes then had to withstand a two-run homer by Vermont's (19-29) Jhonny Rodriguez in the bottom half of the eleventh before Gerwuins Velazco (1) shut the door to preserve the win.
The win, coupled with Williamsport's extra-inning loss to West Virginia, extended State College's lead in the New York-Penn League Pinckney Division back to five games.
Four Spikes pitchers combined to hold the Lake Monsters at bay through the first 10 innings. Harley Holt started and gave up five hits and two walks while striking out three batters over the first four innings.
2016 second-round draft choice Connor Jones then made his State College debut and allowed just one hit over two innings of work. Jones struck out one batter and threw 18 pitches, 15 of them for strikes.
Jordan DeLorenzo followed with three strikeouts to one walk over two innings before Eric Carter (2-0) hurled two innings for the win. Carter yielded two walks and recorded two strikeouts.
Velazco then gave up the Jhonny Rodriguez home run and a walk, but also struck out one as he notched his first save.
Vermont starter Dakota Chalmers tossed six shutout frames, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out three batters. Brandon Bailey then pitched 3 1/3 innings, giving up one hit and two walks while striking out three, before giving way to Ty Damron (0-2).
Damron yielded all three Spikes runs, two of them earned, on three hits and a walk over a total of 1 2/3 innings. The left-hander also recorded two strikeouts, but took the loss.
The Spikes and Lake Monsters meet at Centennial Field for the middle game of their three-game set on Sunday at 5:05 p.m. State College will send right-hander Jordan Hicks (1-0) to the mound for his second start in a Spikes uniform. Vermont will go with right-hander Xavier Altamirano (2-1).
After the series in Vermont, the Spikes will head home on Tuesday to start a stretch of six straight home games. The Spikes will start with three games against West Virginia before welcoming the Staten Island Yankees to town for a three-game weekend series.
The homestand starts with $2 Walking Taco Tuesday, presented by B94.5, as well as Half-Craft Wednesday, presented by 93.7 The BUS. Thursday is Ladies Night, featuring Digger Dog's Diamond Dig with a $1,000 Confer's Jewelers Diamond Giveaway for one lucky winner presented by Columbia Gas of PA. In addition, Diamond Club seats will be just $8.11 each on that night for Call 811 Night, and it's a $1 Beer Thursday, presented by BIG Froggy 101.
Friday will feature FIREWORKS presented by Penn State Health, and a Patrotic Shirtsey Giveaway presented by ServiceMaster by Holobinko and Merry Maids for the first 1,000 fans. Plus, on Saturday, gates open at 6:00 p.m., and the first 1,000 fans get a Christian Hackenberg Bobblehead presented by The Nittany Lion Inn and the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel & ESPN Radio 1450.
Sunday, fans can meet Dennis Haskins, who played "Mr. Belding" on TV's "Saved by the Bell," with the appearance presented by Comcast Spotlight. The skies will also light up with FIREWORKS presented by Nuts For You after the 6:05 p.m. game.
Tickets for all of the games on the upcoming homestand, as well as every game remaining on the Spikes' 2016 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 Sunday via the Spikes Radio Network, presented by Penn State Health, at 4:50 p.m. with Spikes Live, presented by Mount Nittany Health, on the air from Centennial 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.