Spikes dispatch Lake Monsters

From CDT staff reports

BURLINGTON, Vt. — Three experienced players helped the State College Spikes record their first victory in Vermont.

Edward Garcia recorded four hits and Justin Byler and David Rubinstein added three each as the Spikes defeated Vermont 10-5 Sunday.

The victory was the Spikes’ first at Centennial Field. The Spikes opened the series with two losses and went 0-2 during their first trip to Vermont in 2007.

Garcia, who ended last season with the Spikes, went 4 for 5 with four singles and two RBIs. Byler, who also played for the team in 2007, went 3 for 4 with an RBI. Rubinstein, who spent all of last season in State College, went 3 for 4 with two RBIs.

The trio helped the Spikes record 14 hits, their highest total since compiling 16 during an 11-3 victory at Williamsport on July 5.

The Spikes (29-28) reached Vermont starter Chad Jenkins early as Brock Holt singled and Evan Chambers and Aaron Baker walked to begin the game. Holt scored on Byler’s sacrifice fly and Chambers and Baker scored on Rubinstein’s single to center field. Rubinstein then scored the inning’s final run on a single by Garcia.

The Spikes also scored one run in the second, third, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings. Chambers provided the run in the eighth by cracking his third professional homer. The homer represented the game’s lone extra-base hit.

Victor Black gave the Spikes another a solid start by striking out four in three scoreless innings. Tyler Cox replaced Black, allowing six hits and five runs in four innings to improve to a team-best 7-2. Only two of the runs allowed by Cox were earned as the Spikes committed three errors.

Zach Foster pitched a scoreless eighth to lower his ERA to 0.98 before Marc Baca pitched a perfect ninth. The quartet held the Lake Monsters (26-30) to seven hits.

The Spikes begin the two-day all-star break today. Foster, Holt and Phil Irwin will represent the Spikes in Tuesday’s game at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

The entire team returns to action Wednesday to begin a three-game series against Brooklyn at Medlar Field. The Spikes enter the all-star break trailing Staten Island by 4 1/2 games in the race for the league’s one wildcard spot. They trail

Mahoning Valley by seven games in the Pinckney Division standings.