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State College Spikes

Spikes Use Sixth-Inning Surge to Surpass Black Bears in Win

August 3, 2017 - New York-Penn League (NYPL)
State College Spikes News Release


GRANVILLE, WV - The State College Spikes scored six runs, all with two outs, in the sixth inning to race past the West Virginia Black Bears for a 7-2 victory on Thursday night at Monongalia County Ballpark.

With the win, the Spikes (24-19) advanced to within a game of the New York-Penn League Wild Card lead shared by West Virginia (25-18) and Aberdeen, and two games back of NYPL Pinckney Division leader Mahoning Valley.

Trailing 2-1 going into the inningState College's spurt started when Scott Hurst and Evan Mendoza each singled with one out. After a flyout, Yariel Gonzalez tied the game at 2-2 with a single through the left side of the infield. Bryce Denton's infield single then loaded the bases and preceded the rest of the flurry.

A two-run single from Tyler Lancaster was followed by an RBI single from Zach Kirtley, and Brandon Benson's two-run double capped the scoring.

The Spikes took the opening lead in the first when Hurst doubled and came in to score on Mendoza's groundout.

West Virginia tied the game on Deon Stafford's single in the third, and the Black Bears catcher singled in another run in the fifth to give his club a temporary lead.

Spikes starter Paul Balestrieri (2-1) earned the win with 5 2/3 innings of work, allowing two runs on eight hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out five batters.

Levi MaVorhis (2) then earned the automatic save with 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. MaVorhis yielded one hit and one walk while notching two strikeouts.

State College was largely held at bay outside the sixth, with the nine hitters preceding Hurst's single and the ten hitters following Benson's double were all retired in order.

Hurst also contributed defensively, with an outstanding catch in center field that included a collision with the wall to deprive Tristan Gray of a base hit in the fourth.

Black Bears starter Sergio Cubilete (2-3) took the loss after being dinged for six runs on eight hits over 5 2/3 innings. Cubilete recorded five strikeouts in the effort.

The Spikes had entered Thursday's game 1-16 when trailing after five innings, while West Virginia was 16-1 when leading after five innings coming into the night.

Friday, the Spikes and Black Bears finish their four-game, three-night series with a 7:05 p.m. matchup at Monongalia County Ballpark. State College will send left-hander Daniel Castano (7-1), the NYPL's leader in wins and innings pitched to the mound. West Virginia will counter with left-hander Ike Schlabach (3-3), whose 0.94 WHIP is the second-best mark in the league.

Following the series in West Virginia, the Spikes will conclude their road trip with a three-game series against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Cleveland Indians) from Saturday through Monday before returning home for a six-game homestand August 8-13.

Highlights include Bark in the Park, presented by NEWSRADIO 1390 WRSC, on Tuesday, August 8, Ladies Night & Paint the Park Purple Night presented by Home Instead Senior Care and Juniper Village at Brookline to fight Alzheimer's disease on Thursday, August 10, the return of the Cowboy Monkey Rodeo on Saturday, August 12, plus a pair of Spikes hat giveaways and two FIREWORKS shows.

Tickets for all six games from August 8-13, as well as every game remaining on the Spikes' 2017 home schedule, are currently on sale through the Spikes Ticket Office by calling (814) 272-1711 or by visiting in person. Fans can also buy and download single-game tickets by visiting StateCollegeSpikes.com.

Catch all of the action on Friday 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 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

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