State College Spikes fall in final inning for second straight night

One night after falling to Hudson Valley in the final inning, the State College Spikes repeated some unwanted history again Thursday night in a 4-3 loss at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

The Hudson Valley Renegades once again pulled away in the top of the final frame, breaking the tie this time on a sacrifice fly that drove home a player who initially reached base on an error.

Hudson Valley out-hit State College by a 14-4 margin but committed three errors and stranded a dozen runners. All but one Renegades starter finished with a hit.

With the loss, the Spikes fall to 27-23 while the Renegades improve to 25-25.

Player of the game

Hudson Valley center fielder Oscar Rojas: Not only did he tie a game-high three hits, but he also proved to be the hero with the game-winning RBI in the final inning. His sacrifice fly with two base-runners and one out proved to be the difference-maker. Rojas also stole a base in the victory.

Capitalizing on mistakes

Spikes’ fifth inning: Hudson Valley scored three of its runs in the fifth inning, after multiple mistakes by the Spikes. Two of the Renegades’ first three batters reached base on a fielding error and a hit by pitch, and Hudson Valley scored its third run after a wild pitch. Overall in that inning, Hudson Valley managed three runs on two singles and a double.

Roster move

Promotion: State College infielder Evan Mendoza was promoted to Single-A Peoria on Thursday. He was named the New York-Penn League’s Player of the Week the last two weeks, and he was also the league’s batting leader with a .370 average.

Up next

Vermont Lake Monsters at State College Spikes, 7:05 p.m. Friday: State College pitcher Jonathon Mulford (2-4, 5.05) ERA will take on a pitcher to be determined from Vermont. Friday will also serve as Fireworks Night.

This story was originally published August 10, 2017 at 10:36 PM with the headline "State College Spikes fall in final inning for second straight night."