BATAVIA, N.Y. - Matt Curry's homer was one of the State College Spikes' 13 base hits in a back-and-forth slugfest at Dwyer Statdium, but the Batavia Muckdogs ultimately had the last surge to take a 12-11 win in 11 innings on Tuesday night.
Curry's home run, his seventh of the season, was a towering shot over the right field fence in the fourth inning that gave State College (32-38) a 9-6 lead. The Spikes rebounded to take that lead after losing a 4-0 advantage when Batavia (42-27) plated six runs in the third, capped off by Audry Perez's grand slam to left.
State College then responded with a five-spot in the fourth, as Gift Ngoepe, Walker Gourley and Gerlis Rodriguez each knocked in runs to lead up to Curry's blast. The Spikes collected 11 of their hits from the second through the fourth innings to retake the lead.
In the fifth, however, the Muckdogs' Victor Sanchez hit the third home run of the game to draw Batavia within 9-7. Single runs in the sixth and seventh innings by the Muckdogs tied the game up at 9-9, and it stayed that way until the eleventh inning.
State College was then able to get a pair of runs in the top of the frame. The Spikes loaded the bases on two walks and an error, and Kelson Brown's RBI single to left combined with another error to put State College in front, 11-9.
Batavia landed the final blow, though. After Geoff Klein doubled to lead off the bottom of the eleventh, Chris Edmonson tripled in pinch-runner Houston Summers to reduce the margin to one. Sanchez's single through a drawn-in infield then tied the game back up, 11-11. After a wild pitch put Sanchez at second, the Batavia first baseman took off on a dropped third strike. Rodriguez's error on the throw to third then allowed Sanchez to score and end the game.
Curry went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two runs batted in along with his round-tripper. Brown knocked in a total of three runs on a 2-for-5 night, and joined Cole White and Miguel Mendez in producing multi-hit performances.
Jason Townsend (1-1) took the loss for the Spikes after allowing the Muckdogs' three runs, two of which were earned, in the eleventh. Townsend also struck out two in the effort.
Batavia reliever Matt North (4-2) picked up the win as the pitcher of record. North allowed both of the Spikes' eleventh-inning runs, one of which was earned, on one hit and two walks. North also struck out two in the outing.
Wednesday, the Spikes return home for the first game of a two-game series against the Auburn Doubledays, affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. The special 6:35 p.m. matchup will feature left-hander Zac Fuesser (0-3) going for State College against Auburn left-hander Sean Nolin (0-2).
