Spikes drop 4-3 decision to Lake Monsters

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The State College Spikes battled back from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game, but Aaron Arruda 's double in the ninth inning gave the Vermont Lake Monsters a 4-3 victory on Friday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

The Spikes (11-16) took advantage of Vermont (14-13) mistakes to net all of their runs. Trailing in the fifth inning, State College used a Wadye Ynfante single, a wild pitch, a walk and an error to score its first run.Nick Dunn then drove in another run with a groundout in the fifth to draw the Spikes within 3-2.
State College then tied the game in the seventh when Walker Robbins reached base on an error, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on another error.
Arruda gave the Lake Monsters a lead they would not relinquish, though, as he doubled in Anthony Churlin after Churlin had led off the ninth with a two-bagger of his own.
Vermont had taken the lead in the opening inning on Jonah Bride's single, then tacked on two more runs in the fourth on Marcos Brito 's single and a Joseph Pena sacrifice fly.
Spikes starter Chris Holba went a career-long five innings and yielded three runs, two of them earned, on five hits, two walks and a hit batsman. Holba also struck out five batters.
Michael Baird (0-1) allowed just one run and struck out five batters over three-plus innings, but took the loss. Baird gave up a total of three hits during his time on the mound.
Vermont starter Chase Cohen tossed three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out four batters, before giving way to Juan Mora (1-1) the rest of the way. Mora earned the win after giving up three unearned runs on one hit and three walks over six innings of work. The right-hander also struck out seven batters.
Ynfante and Brandon Benson had the lone hits for the Spikes, who were held to two hits for the second time in the series.
Saturday, the Spikes start the second half of their six-game homestand with a 7:05 p.m. matchup against the Tri-City ValleyCats (Houston Astros) at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
State College will send left-hander Jacob Schlesener (0-1) to the mound for his first start of the 2018 season in the opener of the three-game series. Tri-City is set to go with right-hander Edgardo Sandoval (0-0), who makes the first appearance of his rehab assignment with the ValleyCats.
The fun begins with the Youth Baseball Clinic, presented by Penn State Health, Official Healthcare Provider of Penn State Athletics. Registration is free with a ticket to Saturday night's game and begins at 10:30 a.m. Spikes players will then tutor kids in the fundamentals of baseball starting at 11 a.m., with autographs available after the clinic.
Saturday night will also feature a National Mac and Cheese Day Celebration, with a Mac and Cheese Toppings Bar available at the game and Mac and Cheese highlights all night long.
It's also a Scratch n' Win Saturday, presented by P.J. Harrigan's. Every Spikes fan will be a winner as each fan receives a scratch-off card with a great prize or discount on it at the gates. After the game, kids 12 and under can also run the bases.
The homestand continues with Military Appreciation Night presented by Lion Country Kia and the Centre Daily Times, as well as FIREWORKS presented by First National Bank, on Sunday, July 15. Super Splash Day I with a noon start will then take place on Monday, July 16 to finish the set.
Tickets for all three games from Saturday to Monday, as well as the 2018 New York-Penn League All-Star Game presented by the Central PA Convention & Visitors Bureau, the 2018 NYPL All-Star Tailgate Gala presented by Reinhart Foodservice, and every game on the 2018 Spikes home schedule, 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 10 a.m. to the end of the game on Saturday and Sunday. Fans can also buy and download single-game tickets by visiting StateCollegeSpikes.com.
Catch all of the action on Saturday via the Spikes Radio Network, presented by Penn State Sports Medicine, Official Healthcare Provider of Penn State Athletics, 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.