STATE COLLEGE - Any way you look at it, the game between Jamestown and State College was anything but a classic. As a matter of fact, it was nothing more than an ugly display of baseball.
The game resembled a heavyweight battle where the two teams went toe-to-toe with each other before the last team standing had to be declared the winner.
The two teams took turns exchanging runs through the first four innings, but that is when it all changed.
When the Spikes offense went south and the defense headed north, the Jammers kept putting numbers on the board as they walked off the field with an 11-4 win.
The Spikes took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a walk to Junior Sosa and an RBI single by Rodarrick Jones. However, as things unfolded in the second inning, the State College lead was short-lived as the Jammers came right back to score four runs for a 4-1 lead.
The big hits in the Jamestown uprising were a two-run double by Eddie Rodriguez followed by a long two-run home run to right-center by Ryan Goetz.
The Spikes clawed back for score a run in the bottom of the third, but the Jammers came right back in the fourth to put the long ball to good use again as Marquis Cooper belted a long two-run shot to left.
From that point on, it was all downhill for the Spikes as they finished the game charged with five errors.
For State College, Alex Fuselier was the only Spike player with more than one hit, finishing with a pair of infield singles.
Already trailing by an 11-3 count, the Spikes scored a run in the bottom of the ninth to set the final, and as you might have guessed, they did it without the benefit of a hit.
Ryan Hafner started and took the loss for the Spikes; the righthander working four innings. For his efforts, Hafner was charged with six runs (3 unearned) on six hits. He walked one, struck out two and surrendered a pair of home runs.
Ten minutes following the conclusion of the game, Spikes manager Kimera Bartee, in a little different fashion than Elvis's departure, left the building and wasn't available for comments following the game.
The Spikes will begin a three-game series with neighboring Williamsport tonight beginning at 7:05 p.m. The Crosscutters will give the mound call to Mike Nesseth (3-4), while the Spikes will counter with Mike Jefferson (2-2).
Notes: Robert Kilcrease is off to a good start with the Spikes since joining the club two weeks ago. In four appearances, Kilcrease has pitched 5.1 innings, allowing just one hit. He has walked two and struck out five. ... In his last 10 appearances, Nick Kingham has been on fire. During those 10 starts, Kingham has won all four decisions, posting an impressive ERA of 1.88. In 48 innings, Kingham has shown the ability to throw strikes as he has recorded 29 punch outs while walking just seven. ... In case you are wondering where Spikes "regular" catcher Sammy Gonzalez is, he is nursing a sore shoulder. The injury is one that is keeping him out of games, but not serious enough to place him on the disabled list. ... Walker Gourley only shows three hits in his last 24 at-bats for a .125 mark in his last ten games. For the Season, Gourley is well below the Mendoza line with a mark of .167. Wes Freeman is hitting .357 in his last 10 games. With his surge, Freeman is rapidly approaching the .300 mark, currently sporting a season log of .298.
