UNIVERSITY PARK — It’s no secret to astute New York-Penn League observers.
Late August games involving teams out of serious playoff contention can be drab occurrences.
Crowds shrink. Players think about home. Organizations plot fall instructional league plans.
State College Spikes leadoff hitter Junior Sosa prevented Wednesday from becoming a forgettable game involving two below-.500 teams.
Sosa opened the bottom of the first with an inside-the-park-homer, propelling the Spikes to a 3-1 victory over Jamestown before 3,688 fans.
The homer started a three-run first, which countered Jamestown’s one-run, which meant neither team scored after the first.
The timing of the runs didn’t matter to the Spikes (25-39). They entered Wednesday having dropped seven of their past 10 games and needed action to push through a crucial developmental stretch. Sosa provided plenty of action during one swift dash around the bases.
After taking a strike, Sosa lined a fastball to center field. Jamestown center fielder Marquise Cooper took two steps toward the infield. The ball sailed over Cooper’s head, traveled along the fairway-like turf and rolled to the warning track.
“He kept his hands back and was able to put some hands on the ball,” Spikes manager Kimera Bartee said. “Right place, right time. There was a little bit of wind. The center fielder made his first step in and that’s a cardinal rule in the outfield. You can regroup and come in. But it’s hard to regroup and go back. And in this park…” Exciting stuff happens in Medlar Field’s quirky outfield.
Sosa, a 20-year-old outfielder from Venezuela, curled around first, dashed to second, barreled to third, noticed third base coach Edgar Varela’s wave, headed home and dove head first into the plate. Catcher Austin Barnes didn’t receive the ball in time to apply a tag.
“As soon as it got by him, I was like, ‘That’s four, that’s four,’” Bartee said. “It was just a matter of him scoring.”
Sosa isn’t the first Spike to crack an inside-the-park-homer at Medlar Field. Nathan Southard, a key part of the only winning group in team history, hit one during the Spikes’ inaugural season in 2006. Southard hit his when Williamsport center fielder James Barksdale failed to make a diving catch. The dramatic homer ended a 3- 2, 11-inning State College victory.
“You don’t see that every day,” Spikes catcher Matt Skirving said. “But with a field like ours, an outfielder makes a mistake and you can run for days with the way the walls are.”
Skirving also took advantage of Medlar Field’s spacious outfielder, hitting an RBI triple to left field with two outs in the first. The triple scored Wes Freeman, who lofted an RBI single to right field earlier in the inning.
“That kind of excitement to kick the game off, if they aren’t already into it, gets everyone into it,” starter Matt Benedict said.
Benedict took advantage of the cushion, allowing three hits and one run before reaching his pitch count after the fifth. Jamestown scored its only run on Brian McConkey’s RBI ground out in the first.
Little happened after the first, unless one considers Cooper, the Jammers’ No. 9 hitter, getting plunked three times a noteworthy achievement. Spikes relievers Jesus Brito and Josh Poytress combined to allow two hits and walked none during the final four innings.
“We kept the ball down in the zone,” Skirving said. “Brito and Poytress threw strikes. Any time you can get ahead in the count, especially against teams that swing like Jamestown does, hopefully it’s going to be a good night.”
Alex Dickerson’s two-out double to right-center in third was the Spikes’ only hit after the first. Jamestown pitchers Dejai Oliver, Jheyson Manzueta, Chase Wier and Blake Brewer combined for nine strikeouts.
The Spikes play 11 more games, beginning with the series finale against Jamestown at 7:05 p.m. tonight. The seasons ends Sept. 4 at Williamsport. The stretch is more important than many think.
“September and late August are considered the dog days of Minor League Baseball,” Bartee said. “August and September are the dog days of the big leagues. We are looking for winners and we’re developing championships in Pittsburgh. If we have a bunch of guys that can’t make it through the wall, we have no shot at relying on them in August, September and hopefully October in the playoffs. It’s a huge time for evaluation.”
