BURLINGTON, Vt. - Jason Creasy allowed just one run over five innings of work, and the State College Spikes kept even with the Vermont Lake Monsters throughout most of Monday night's game, but the Lake Monsters struck last with a run in the bottom of the eighth inning to take a 2-1 decision from the Spikes at Centennial Field.
Despite Creasy leaving the mound with a 1-0 deficit, State College (11-11) took him off the hook by producing a run in the sixth inning. Ryan Hornback led off the inning with a double and, after advancing to third base on a groundout, scored on Samuel Gonzalez's sacrifice fly to tie the game, 1-1.
The score remained the same until the eighth. Vermont's (14-8) Sam Roberts scored on John Wooten's double to the left-center field gap.
The Spikes threatened in the ninth inning, putting the go-ahead run on first base and the tying run on second as a result of Walker Gourley's single, a wild pitch, and a walk to Jacob Stallings. However, when the runners went in motion on a 3-2 pitch, Vermont reliever Nate Eppley (1) struck out Rodarrick Jones at the plate, and Gourley was thrown out at third base to end the game.
Gourley produced a pair of hits, including a bunt single, and Stallings added a double as well.
Logan Pevny (1-1) took the loss for State College after yielding Vermont's run in the eighth inning. Pevny allowed one hit, two walks and a hit batsman while notching a strikeout in 2/3 of an inning.
Ryan Dull (1-0) got credit for the win after setting down the Spikes in order in the top of the eighth. Eppley got the final two outs for the save.
