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State College loses game, series

NILES, OHIO — Caleb Lopes delivered pair of hits for the State College Spikes, but the Spikes dropped the rubber match of a three-game series to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, 5-1, on Monday night at Eastwood Field.

Lopes, who started at shortstop, singled in the third and doubled in the eighth for his first multi-hit game with State College (4-4). The Mobile, AL native also scored the Spikes’ lone run.

Josh Lopez doubled for the Spikes as well, putting his batting average at a league-leading .571.

Mahoning Valley (5-3) took the lead with a pair of runs in the third on Nolan Jones’s RBI single and a Jonathan Laureano sacrifice fly. Laureano’s fly ball turned into a double play when Ricardo Bautista threw out Ulysses Cantu at third trying to tag up.

Cantu homered to lead off the Scrappers fifth and Jason Rodriguez doubled in another run in the same frame. Mahoning Valley would also score in the sixth on a Cantu single.

State College starter Jonathon Mulford (0-2) took the loss after allowing two runs on five hits and three walks over four innings. Mulford also recorded five strikeouts.

Felix Tati (1-1) started and picked up the win for the Scrappers with five scoreless innings on the mound. Tati allowed three hits and a walk while striking out five batters.

Cantu and Samad Taylor each produced three-hit games at the plate for Mahoning Valley.

After an off day on Tuesday, the Spikes return home Wednesday to start a six-game homestand with the opener of a three-game series against the Auburn Doubledays (Washington Nationals). First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m., with State College right-hander Anthony Shew (1-0) facing Auburn left-hander Yonathan Ramirez (1-0) in the mound matchup.

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