Spikes fall to ValleyCats despite late surge

TROY, N.Y. - The State College Spikes scored seven runs over the last four innings of Wednesday night's game, but an early double-digit deficit was too much to overcome in a 14-7 defeat at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium. 
Jonatan Machado extended his on-base streak to 14 games with a pair of walks but saw his hitting streak end at six games.
Donivan Williams drove in three runs for the Spikes (14-12). Williams drew a walk with the bases loaded in the seventh, then notched a two-run single in the eighth.

State College fell behind early, going down 9-0 after Tri-City (10-14) plated seven runs in the second. The ValleyCats expanded the lead to as much as 10-0 in the fourth before the Spikes' surge.
Scott Politz (1-2) took the loss after yielding 10 runs, nine of them earned, on 10 hits and four walks over five innings. Politz struck out two batters in the effort.
Tri-City reliever Peyton Battenfield (1-1) picked up the win. Battenfield pitched the longest of the six ValleyCats hurlers, going 3 2/3 scoreless innings over which he gave up one hit and two walks while striking out six batters.
Korey Lee went 3-for-3 with three RBI and scored four runs for Tri-City. Lee knocked in two of the seven ValleyCats runs in the second with a bases-loaded single. Joe Perez contributed a three-run double in the same frame.
Zach Biermann also knocked in three runs, while Wilyer Abreu went 3-for-5 and drove in one run.
The Spikes will meet the ValleyCats for the second game of their three-game series at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium on Thursday at 7 p.m. Right-hander Adrian Mardueno (1-0) gets the ball for State College, with right-hander Jeremy Randolph (0-1) set to follow him on the mound. Tri-City will go with right-hander Manny Ramirez (0-0).
Following the road trip, the Spikes return home for a big series at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park against the Staten Island Yankees (New York Yankees). The homestand begins with a Beanie Cap Giveaway presented by McClure Company to the first 500 fans on Autism Awareness Night at Saturday's 7:05 p.m. game.
Sunday, fans can look forward to the return of David "The Bullet" Smith as he brings his record-setting Human Cannonball act back to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, with a post-game blast-off after the 6:05 p.m. game. In addition, FIREWORKS presented by Penn State Health Medical Group will light up the skies after the contest.
Plus, it will be Military Appreciation Night as Lion Country Kia presents the festivities. The Spikes will also wear their special Patriotic Hats for the game, which are up for bids now in a Patriotic Hat Auction benefiting Local Military Personnel, also presented by Lion Country Kia. Bidding will take place on the LiveSource app, which can be downloaded at LiveSourceApp.com.
Monday, the series concludes with the first Super Splash Day of the season. The Spikes and Yankees will meet at noon, and Ike's Kids Zone will turn into the Splash Zone. In addition, it's a Monday Buck Day presented by 95.3 FM 3WZ, with $1 hot dogs, peanut boats and small sodas, and a MillerCoors Monday featuring half-price Miller Lite and Coors Light from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Tickets for all three games, as well as every game on the 2019 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 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 Thursday via the Spikes Radio Network, presented by Penn State Sports Medicine, Official Healthcare Provider of Penn State Athletics, at 6:45 p.m. with Spikes Live, presented by Mount Nittany Health, on the air from Joseph L. Bruno Stadium. 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.