Spikes fall to Black Bears in extra innings

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The State College Spikes took the West Virginia Black Bears to extra frames on Tuesday night, but the Black Bears' 10th-inning burst gave them a 6-3 win over the Spikes at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
The Spikes (36-34) are now two games behind first-place Batavia in the New York-Penn League Pinckney Division with six games remaining, and 1 ½ games back of West Virginia (37-32) for second place. Both clubs also hold tiebreakers over State College should their records match at the end of the season.

State College trailed 2-0 in the first when Fernando Villegas 's RBI groundout and Cory Wood 's run-scoring single put West Virginia up.
However, the Spikes battled back to score three runs of their own in the bottom of the first. Terry Fuller drove in the first run with a single to right-center field, with a double-play ball plating the second run. Fuller then completed the State College scoring by coming home on a passed ball.
The Black Bears tied the game in the second on Elys Escobar 's double, then each team traded zeroes until West Virginia plated three runs in the 10^th.
The flurry started when Blake Sabol , who began the inning as the designated runner at second base under Minor League Baseball's tiebreaker rule, was able to score on a rundown play between third base and home plate. A subsequent wild pitch then plated Jared Triolo , and Brendt Citta 's RBI double finished the rally.
The long scoreless stretch featured top-flight pitching on both sides. Spikes starter Adrian Mardueno shook off the three early runs to go five innings, allowing six hits and two walks while striking out four batters along the way.
Jacob Schlesener then recorded four strikeouts over 2 1/3 shutout innings of relief. Schlesener, who gave up one hit and two walks, now has 74 strikeouts on the season, which is the fourth-best total in the NYPL and puts him just seven shy of the Spikes' single-season record for whiffs, set by Daniel Castano with 81 in 2017.
Eric Lex (0-3) delivered the Spikes five straight outs in the eighth and ninth innings, but took the loss after being charged with all three West Virginia runs, two of them earned, in the tenth. Lex gave up a total of two hits and struck out two batters during the outing.
Black Bears starter Quinn Priester , the Pittsburgh Pirates' 2019 first-round draft choice, allowed three runs, two of them earned, on three hits and four walks over four innings in his NYPL debut. Priester also struck out four batters.
Trey McGough then followed Priester and struck out eight batters over four scoreless innings. McGough allowed three hits along the way before Cameron Junker (5-0) took over in the ninth and retired all six batters he faced, five by strikeout, for the win.
Luis Flores was the lone Spike with multiple hits, while Shane Benes smashed his sixth double of the season for State College.
Wednesday, the Spikes start their next-to-last series of the 2019 regular season with a 7:05 p.m. matchup against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Cleveland Indians) at Eastwood Field. The opener of the three-game road set will feature right-hander Junior Gonzalez (3-5) on the mound for State College against Mahoning Valley right-hander Carlos Vargas (4-4).
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 Wednesday 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.