UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Yariel Gonzalez produced four hits, including his first home run of the season, and the State College Spikes delivered 15 hits as a team in a 9-1 victory over the Batavia Muckdogs on Thursday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
(Photo: Yariel Gonzalez. Photo courtesy of State College Spikes)
Gonzalez’s long ball came in the fourth inning when he drove a ball off the batter’s eye beyond the center-field wall, and increased the State College (2-2) lead to 2-0 at that point. The returnee from the 2016 NYPL championship team notched the first four-hit game for the Spikes since Jose Martinez did so in back-to-back games on July 17 and 18 of last year.
Josh Lopez also shone on offense with five productive at-bats on the night. Lopez collected three hits, including a double, and added a pair of RBI groundouts.
A pair of 2017 draftees also made their professional debuts on Thursday. Evan Mendoza, the Cardinals’ 11th-round choice out of N.C. State, started at third base and went 2-for-4 with a double while scoring two runs. Brandon Benson, taken by the Cardinals in the 20th round out of Georgia College, started in center field and went 1-for-4 while scoring a run.
The Spikes also receive a strong mound effort. Starter Anthony Shew (1-0) tossed five shutout innings to earn the win. Shew yielded just three hits while striking out seven batters on 65 pitches, 45 of them for strikes.
Keaton Siomkin followed with two innings of scoreless, one-hit ball before Noel Gonzalez finished with two innings of work. State College struck out 12 batters as a staff on the night.
Batavia (3-1) took its first loss of the season, with only Marcos Rivera’s solo home run in the ninth inning preventing a shutout.
Muckdogs starter Hunter Wells (0-1) took the loss after giving up two runs on four hits and a walk. Wells struck out two batters in the effort.
Appropriately enough, the matchup also occurred during the Spikes’ first Bark in the Park Night, with 211 dogs in the ballpark.
The game was delayed 21 minutes at the outset by a drizzle in the State College area.
Friday, the Spikes and Muckdogs play the rubber match of their three-game series at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. State College will send right-hander Levi MaVorhis to the mound for his first start of the season. Batavia will go with right-hander Alberto Guerrero on the hill.
It will be Championship Celebration Night at the ballpark, presented by First National Bank. Fans can join the Spikes in paying homage to the 2016 NYPL championship team with a special trophy presentation before the 7:05 p.m. game, and the first 500 fans will share in the championship spoils with their very own NYPL Championship Replica Ring.
