STATE COLLEGE - The State College Spikes fell behind 2-0, but Joely Rodriguez, Adrian Sampson, and Kyle Haynes stymied the Staten Island Yankees on the scoreboard the rest of the way, and timely hitting propelled the Spikes past the Yankees for a 3-2 win on Wednesday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Ryan Hornback's RBI single in the fifth inning completed the State College (12-11) comeback, which began when the Spikes plated a pair of two-out runs in the third. Jodaneli Carvajal started the surge with a single to center, after which Hornback followed with a single of his own to send Carvajal to third. Barrett Barnes's swinging bunt down the third base line scored Carvajal to make it a 2-1 game, and D.J. Crumlich brought in the tying run one batter later.
Staten Island (9-14) had taken the lead in the second inning, ending Rodriguez's (2-0) scoreless streak at 12 frames in the second inning, when Ravel Santana singled and Matt Snyder knocked him in with a double. The Yankees added a run in the third inning when Daniel Lopez reached on a two-base error and, after a sacrifice bunt, crossed the plate on Taylor Dugas's single to right field.
Rodriguez, however, bounced back from yielding the two runs to give up just one more hit the rest of the way. The Dominican southpaw gave up a total of four hits in five innings, and just one of the runs he allowed was earned. Rodriguez also struck out three, and when the Spikes scored in the fifth inning, he became the pitcher of record in the game. Ultimately, the left-hander notched his second straight win.
Once Hornback drove in Walker Gourley with State College's go-ahead run in the fifth inning, Adrian Sampson took over for the Spikes on the mound in the sixth and delievered three shutout innings of work. Sampson yielded two hits and a walk, and recorded three strikeouts, including a strikeout of Staten Island cleanup hitter Saxon Butler with runners on second and third to avert a Yankee threat in the eighth.
Kyle Haynes (2) picked up the save with a 1-2-3 ninth inning, forcing a flyout and two groundouts to complete the State College victory.
Crumlich finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and a stolen base. Hornback went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base, as well.
Evan Rutckyj (2-2) took the loss for Staten Island in relief, allowing all three Spikes runs on a total of seven hits and two walks while striking out six over six innings. Rutckyj completed the game after left-hander Jeremy Bleich went two innings in a rehab start for the Yankees. Bleich, who pitched at Double-A Trenton in 2009 and 2010 before losing the 2011 season to injury, gave up just one hit and struck out two during his time on the mound.
Snyder doubled twice for the Yankees, while Dugas contributed a 2-for-4 hitting night.
Thursday, the Spikes and Yankees meet at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for a 7:05 p.m. matchup. State College will have right-hander Jake Burnette (1-2) on the mound, while Staten Island will go with right-hander Corey Black (0-0).
