UNIVERSITY PARK – Trailing 8-1 entering the eighth inning, the State College Spikes came all the way back to bring the tying run to the plate, but could not finish the rally as they dropped into a tie for first place in the MLB Draft League’s first-half title race with an 8-5 loss to the Frederick Keys on Tuesday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

With the Spikes’ (14-11) loss and the West Virginia Black Bears’ (14-11) 5-3 victory over Trenton, State College and West Virginia are now even in the standings with four games left in the league’s first-half schedule for both teams. The Black Bears hold the tiebreaker in that scenario, having won the first-half head-to-head battle, 2-1.

Three straight walks and two wild pitches started the State College comeback in the eighth before Quinn Bentley’s two-out single to right made it 8-4. After Dylan Lapointe was hit by a pitch, Cole Pladson’s infield single scored Bentley to trim the margin to three runs with Javon Hernandez coming to the plate.

Hernandez then drove a ball towards the right-center field gap, but Frederick (11-17) center fielder Anthony Diaz chased it down to douse the Spikes’ threat.

Pladson and Harrison Didawick each recorded two hits, while Ryan Rivera went 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 12 games, matching the longest such string in the MLB Draft League this season.

State College starter Ahmad Harajli (0-1) struck out seven batters over four innings, but took the loss in his Spikes debut.

Frederick starter David Shaw (1-0) notched seven strikeouts of his own over five scoreless innings for the win. Jack Bowery (1) elicited the final out of the eighth and retired the Spikes in order in the ninth for the save.