State College Spikes fall to Mahoning Valley

State College starter Jonathon Mulford couldn’t command his pitches in the third inning — and it allowed Mahoning Valley to gain control of the game.

Mulford’s frustrating third inning gave Mahoning Valley a couple crucial runs in the Spikes’ 5-1 loss on Monday night at Eastwood Field in Niles, Ohio.

Despite winning on Sunday, State College lost the three-game series and fell to 4-4 on the season. Mahoning Valley is now 5-3.

Mulford (0-2) didn’t do himself any favors.

Mahoning Valley’s Tyler Friis saw three straight balls before leading off the third inning with an infield single. Samad Taylor, who watched three pitches go by without a strike, drove a single into right field. Next up, Ulysses Cantu walked to load the bases with no outs.

A coaching visit after the rough start didn’t help much. Nolan Jones singled to score Friis, and a sacrifice fly by Jonathan Laureano plated Taylor.

State College’s Anthony Ciavarella entered in relief and didn’t fare much better. The southpaw surrendered a solo home run to Cantu and a run-scoring double to Jason Rodriguez in the fifth inning. In the sixth, he let up an RBI double to Cantu.

Players of the game

Ulysses Cantu, first baseman, Mahoning Valley: The 19-year-old tallied two RBI on his first homer of the season and a double. He had one RBI in seven games entering Monday night.

Felix Tati, pitcher, Mahoning Valley: While State College struggled on the bump, Tati was stellar. The 20-year-old Dominican threw five scoreless innings, striking out five and allowing only three hits. It was much better than Tati’s first outing of the season — three runs in four innings against Auburn on Wednesday.

Getting on the board

State College avoided a shutout in the eighth inning.

Caleb Lopes doubled and later scored on a single by third baseman Evan Mendoza. Lopes and Mendoza’s base knocks were two of only six State College hits.

Up next

State College vs. Auburn, 7:05 p.m. Wednesday: The Spikes finally get a breather. State College has off on Tuesday — the first rest day since the season started on June 19 — before starting up a six-game homestand on Wednesday. The Spikes have a three-game series with Auburn before a three-game set against Batavia.

This story was originally published June 26, 2017 at 10:23 PM with the headline "State College Spikes fall to Mahoning Valley."