UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Delvin Perez produced the first four-hit game for any State College Spikes player in the 2018 season, and the Spikes came back to take a 10-9 victory over the Vermont Lake Monsters on Thursday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
(Photo courtesy of State College Spikes)
In a game that featured four lead changes, Perez saved his best hit for last, smashing a ground-rule double to left field with the bases loaded in the eighth inning to give State College (11-15) a lead it would not relinquish.
The 2016 first-round draft choice of the Cardinals also added a walk and scored a run in the contest.
The Spikes had to battle back from an early 2-0 deficit after Jose Rivas homered to right field for the Lake Monsters (13-13) in the second inning, but Edwin Figuera followed Nick Dunn’s two-run double in the same frame with a two-run single of his own to put State College in front.
Wadye Ynfante then bumped the Spikes lead up by being hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the third, with Joe Gomez driving in another run on a sacrifice fly to center field one batter later.
Vermont surged in the middle innings, though, with Jameson Hannah starting the Lake Monsters’ flurry by driving in a run with a single in the fourth. In the fifth, Vermont loaded the bases with one out, and Jonah Bride knocked in a pair of runs with a single to left. Two State College errors on the same play then allowed two more runs to score and give the Lake Monsters the lead, with Rivas adding a sacrifice fly to make it 8-6, Lake Monsters.
After Gomez delivered another sacrifice fly to draw the Spikes within a run, Alfonso Rivas made it 9-7 with his sixth-inning single for Vermont.
State College started its comeback with Figuera’s RBI double in the sixth before Perez gave them the victory.
Spikes reliever Cory Malcom (1-0) picked up the win with two scoreless innings of relief, striking out one batter in the process. Kevin Hamann (4) then yielded a hit in the ninth, but elicited a double play and struck out the last batter of the night to earn the save.
Bryce Nightengale (0-1) took the loss in relief for Vermont after yielding the go-ahead run on two hits and two walks while striking out one batter for his lone out.
Friday, the Spikes finish their three-game set against the Lake Monsters with a 7:05 p.m. rubber match at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. State College will have right-hander Chris Holba (1-1) on the hill to face Vermont right-hander Chase Cohen (0-0).
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