Spikes stifled late by Black Bears in 4-1 loss

GRANVILLE, W.V. - Pedro Pages drove in a run with his first professional triple in the opening inning, but the State College Spikes were held in check by the West Virginia Black Bears in the late innings in a 4-1 defeat on Wednesday night at Monongalia County Ballpark.
Pages, the Cardinals' 2019 sixth-round draft choice out of Florida Atlantic, launched a pitch into the right-center field gap that rolled all the way along the artificial turf to the wall for a three-bagger that scored Moises Castillo . Pages has now recorded six of his 17 pro hits at West Virginia.

Despite collecting eight hits over the first five innings, State College (16-16) was then limited by West Virginia (16-15) pitching, with the Black Bears retiring the last 14 Spikes batters in order.
State College starter Adrian Mardueno (1-1) made his longest outing as a professional but took the loss. Mardueno, the Cardinals' 2019 20^th-round draft choice out of San Diego State, was charged with two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out three batters over 4 1/3 innings.
West Virginia took the lead in the fifth when Cory Wood singled in one run and a balk called on Spikes reliever Jack Ralston plated another. Matthew Fraizer then brought in a run in the seventh with a single. Matt Gorski produced the last Black Bears run in the ninth when he singled, stole second, and advanced home on a throwing error by catcher Carlos Soto .
Black Bears reliever Cameron Junker (3-0) picked up the victory with 2 1/3 innings of scoreless ball. Junker allowed one hit and two walks while striking out six batters, including the last five in a row.
Garrett Leonard (4) earned the three-inning save after retiring all nine batters he faced, including four via strikeout.
The game was delayed by rain twice for a total of 20 minutes.
Thursday, the Spikes and Black Bears meet in the middle game of their three-game set at Monongalia County Ballpark. Right-hander Enmanuel Solano (1-3) gets the ball for State College to start the 6:35 p.m. matchup. West Virginia will send right-hander Noe Toribio (0-1) to the mound.
Following the jaunt to West Virginia, the Spikes return home on Saturday for a three-game series with the Williamsport Crosscutters (Philadelphia Phillies).
With thousands are interested in storming Area 51 on September 20., the State College Spikes will give fans a chance to get some practice by storming Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Saturday night during the 7:05 p.m. game.
Like the infamously secret Air Force base in Nevada, the Spikes home game will feature out-of-this-world experiences that have never been seen before, like 51-cent hot dogs. Unlike the real Area 51, though, the Spikes are making it easier to storm the ballpark with outfield bleacher seats available for just $5.10.
Signs of previous visits to Earth from those outside our world will also be displayed on the Medlar Field at Lubrano Park video board, giving stormers the chance to "see them aliens" throughout the night.
In addition, the Spikes' nightly 50/50 Raffle will change for one night to the 51/49 raffle, with 51% of the proceeds going to the SETI Institute, which searches the universe for extraterrestrial life.
Plus, select fans will be chosen for a "Naruto run" competition to get some practice in before September.
More highlights of the homestand include Astronomy Night and a Moon Landing 50^th Anniversary Celebration to go with Senior (55+) Prom Night featuring "A Night Under the Stars" Post-Game Senior (55+) Dance on Saturday, Paint the Park Purple Night featuring a post-game FIREWORKS show presented by Home Instead, Juniper Village and Grane Hospice Care on Sunday, and a Monday Buck Night presented by 95.3 FM 3WZ.
Tickets for all three games from Saturday to Monday, 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 the single-game tickets 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 6:20 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.