STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - The State College Spikes were felled by a 16-hit attack from the Staten Island Yankees that included two home runs, helping the Yankees to a 9-2 victory over the Spikes on Wednesday night at Richmond County Bank Ballpark.
State College (7-19) left just three baserunners stranded against the team with the New York-Penn League's best record, but could not overcome Staten Island's (20-4) offensive outburst. The Yankees began with a single run in the first inning before a one-hour rain delay, and then added another run on a passed ball when the action resumed. The Spikes retaliated in the fourth inning after Kirk Singer reached base on an infield single and Chris Lashmet followed with a double to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Staten Island increased its lead, however, when Casey Stevenson hit a two-run homer against State College reliever Josh Poytress in the fourth and Angelo Gumbs delivered an RBI single in the fifth inning to make it 5-1. Ashley Ponce would score for the Spikes in the sixth inning after producing his first base hit with State College and make it 5-2. Staten Island would get another two-run homer, though, this time by Zack Wilson, as part of a three-run eighth inning to attain a six-run lead, and plated a final run on a wild pitch in the eighth to complete the scoring.
Lashmet's double was the Spikes' lone extra-base hit, while Justin Bencsko and Alex Fuselier also notched hits for State College.
Spikes starter Jordan Cooper (0-2) took the loss after allowing the Yankees' first two runs, only one of which was earned, on five hits over three innings.
Thursday, the Spikes and Yankees meet at 11 a.m. in the middle game of their three-game set. Left-hander Zack Dodson (0-0), who is back with the Spikes on a rehab assignment, will get the start for State College. Dodson, who pitched for the Spikes 15 times in 2010, is 2-3 with a 3.12 ERA in seven starts for Single-A West Virginia in 2011.
