Spikes surge early, but Black Bears take decision

GRANVILLE, W. Va.--The State College Spikes delivered a big fourth inning to take a 5-0 lead, but the West Virginia Black Bears responded with nine unanswered runs to claim a 9-5 victory on Saturday night at Monongalia County Ballpark.

Nick Dunn reached base four times for State College (3-6), going 2-for-3 with a pair of walks. Dunn also started the Spikes' fourth-inning flurry with a two-run double to left field to increase the State College lead to 3-0.
Wadye Ynfante then finished off the Spikes' big fourth with a two-out, two-run single to left-center field.
Andres Luna began the scoring with an RBI groundout in the second, and added a double to the State College cause.
West Virginia's (5-4) rally was powered by Jhoan Herrera , who went 3-for-4 with five runs batted and capping his night with a two-run homer to right, his second of the year, in the seventh. Herrera's two-run single was the pivotal hit of the Black Bears' three-run fourth, and his two-out RBI single in the fifth was followed by Nick Valaika 's two-run double to give West Virginia a lead it would not relinquish.
Spikes starter Jim Voyles got off to a hot start on the mound, retiring the first eight West Virginia batters in order before Michael De La Cruz 's infield single. Voyles struck out eight batters, the most for a State College pitcher in a single outing in 2018, and gave up a total of three runs, two of them earned, on five hits over four innings of work.
Reliever Will Changarotty (1-1) took the loss for the Spikes after being charged with four runs on three hits, a walk and a hit batsman over two-third of an inning.
Black Bears reliever Francis Del Orbe (1-1) picked up the win despite yielding four runs on four hits, two walks and a hit batsman over three innings. Del Orbe struck out five batters in the effort.
Travis Swaggerty , the Pittsburgh Pirates' 2018 first-round draft choice, went 3-for-4 and drove in a run while scoring three for West Virginia.
Sunday, the Spikes return home to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for the opener of a three-game series against the Batavia Muckdogs (Miami Marlins). Right-hander Jake Dahlberg (0-0), who threw five scoreless innings in his first start of the year on Tuesday, will head to the mound for State College. Batavia is slated to start right-hander Humberto Mejia (0-1) on the hill.
Fans will be looking forward to seeing Tim "Wild Thang" Lepard and Team GhostRiders once again, as the Cowboy Monkey Rodeo comes back to State College for Sunday's game. The return of this unique act, featuring monkeys riding dogs herding sheep in an unforgettably entertaining experience, will thrill fans of all ages in their only appearance in Central PA this season.
After the game, the skies will light up with a fantastic FIREWORKS show presented by Penn State Health, Official Healthcare Provider of Penn State Athletics.
Plus, it's a Sunday Kids Day at the ballpark, presented by First National Bank, with a pre-game catch on the field from 5:00 to 5:30 p.m. and the chance for kids to run the bases after the game. In addition, the first 250 kids 12 and under eat for free thanks to Dairy Queen Grill & Chill, with a coupon for a free hot dog, chips and small soda.
The Spikes will then finish their series against Batavia with a Monday Buck Night, presented by 95.3 FM 3WZ, with a MillerCoors Happy Hour from 6-8 p.m., followed by a $2 Walking Taco Tuesday, presented by B94.5, on a BB&T Books & Baseball Night.
Tickets for all three games Sunday through Tuesday, as well as the 2018 New York-Penn League All-Star Game presented by the Central PA Convention & Visitors Bureau 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 Sunday. Fans can also buy and download single-game tickets by visiting StateCollegeSpikes.com.
Catch all of the action on Sunday via the Spikes Radio Network, presented by Penn State Sports Medicine, Official Healthcare Provider of Penn State Athletics, at 5:35 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.