Oviedo dazzles early, but Spikes fall to Black Bears

GRANVILLE, WV - Johan Oviedo retired 18 of the first 19 batters he faced for the State College Spikes on Wednesday night, but the West Virginia Black Bears grew their lead late to take a 5-1 decision at Monongalia County Ballpark.
The Spikes (29-25) now sit three games back of West Virginia (32-22) for the New York-Penn League Pinckney Division lead, and two games back of Aberdeen in the race for the league's lone Wild Card berth.

Oviedo (1-1) yielded only a fifth-inning solo home run to Sandy Santos , his first of the year, through the first 6 1/3 frames. In the seventh, however, Jared Oliva reached second on a double that was lost in the lights, then scored on a pair of errors.
Lucas Tancas followed with another solo homer, his third of the season, and Santos tripled on a ball that bounced past the dive of State College center fielder Ricardo Bautista . Julio De La Cruz knocked in Santos with a single one batter later to increase the Black Bears' lead to 4-0.
Brandon Benson put the Spikes on the board with a sacrifice fly in the eighth, but Oliva tripled to the center field warning track to drive in another West Virginia run and cap the scoring.
Black Bears starter Scooter Hightower (3-0) threw seven shutout innings for the win. Hightower scattered four hits and struck out three batters on the night.
Caleb Lopes went 2-for-2 to become the only Spike with multiple hits, and also reached on a catcher's interference call. Benson added a double for State College as well.
The game lasted just two hours, 10 minutes, and was the shortest nine-inning game the Spikes have played this season.
Thursday, the Spikes and Black Bears tangle in the middle game of their three-game series at Monongalia County Ballpark. The 7:05 p.m. matchup will feature right-hander Jonathon Mulford (2-4) on the mound for State College, while West Virginia right-hander Gavin Wallace (1-2) opposes him.
Following the series in West Virginia, the Spikes will travel to Central New York to take on the Auburn Doubledays (Washington Nationals) in a three-game set through Monday before returning home to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for a six-game homestand from August 22-27. Highlights include a special appearance by Hall of Fame pro wrestler Hacksaw Jim Duggan, presented by Nuts For You and Comcast Spotlight, on Friday, August 25, a pair of Spike-tacular FIREWORKS shows, the return of $1 Beer Thursday presented by BIG Froggy 101, and Mifflin & Juniata County Night along with a Purple & Black Hat Giveaway presented by ServiceMaster by Holobinko & Merry Maids on Saturday, August 26.
Tickets to all six games from August 22-27, as well as all 11 games remaining 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 Thursday 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 Monongalia County Ballpark. 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.