Spikes Fall to Cyclones

The Brooklyn Cyclones swept the State College Spikes by winning the final game of a three-game set at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park Monday night by the score of 4-2.

With the loss, the Spikes (13-13) have lost three in a row, and have tasted victory juust twice since their nine game winning streak was snapped on July 5.

Brooklyn (20-7) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first two innings of the ball game.  Duke Welker made his second start of the year and pitched well, going 4.2 innings giving up six hits and striking out four.  Welker gave up an RBI single to Will Vogl that scored Jason Jacobs in the first, before the Cylcones added to their lead in the bottom of the second when Jason Eigsti knocked in Brandon Kawal to give the Cyclones the early advantage.

The lead hardly lasted, though, as the Spikes immediately countered with a pair in the home half of the second.  After a leadoff walk to Bobby Spain, Marcus Davis tripled him home to cut Brooklyn’s lead in half.  Keanon Simon then grounded to shortstop, driving in Davis to knot the score 2-2.

That’s all the Spikes would get as the Cyclones got to reliever Taylor Cameron (2-1) for one in the sixth and one in the eighth.   After two outs in the sixth, Kawal was hit by a pitch, and later scored on a Matt Bouchard triple to give the Cyclones a lead they would not relinquish.  Another run in the eighth came when Bouchard singled home Chris Fournier.

The Spikes hit the road for six games starting tomorrow at 7:05 when they take on the Hudson Valley Renegades for a three game series before heading to Staten Island. 

Coverage of that game begins on WZWW-FM, 95.3 and the Spikes Radio Network at 6:50 p.m. Moises Robles (1-4) will look to right the ship for State College.  The Spikes after a scheduled off-day on July 23 will return home to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park to welcome in the Aberdeen Ironbirds on July 24 at 7:05 p.m.