JAMESTOWN, NY - The State College Spikes got a homer from Kirk Singer and came back from letting a two-run lead slip in the ninth inning to top the Jamestown Jammers, 7-6, when Alex Dickerson scored on an error in the 12th inning of Sunday night's game at Russell Diethrick Park.
Dickerson, whose ninth-inning error had enabled Jamestown (27-23) to score the tying run, led off with a single in the 12th inning and advanced to second base on a passed ball. Samuel Gonzalez then walked, and when Derek Trent hit into a fielder's choice, the throw from Jammers shortstop Terrence Dayleg was wide of first, allowing Dickerson to come home.
The Spikes (19-31) had entered extra innings against Jamestown for the second time this season after entering the ninth with a 6-4 lead. Josh Adams led off the bottom half of the inning with a double off of Emmanuel De Leon, and scored on Rand Smith's single to cut the lead to one. Smith then stole second and scored the tying run on Dickerson's dropped catch error that would have been the final out of the game.
Jamestown took the first lead of the game on Austin Barnes's RBI double in the third inning, but State College responded with a run-scoring double from Trent to tie it up, 1-1, in the top of the fourth. The Jammers retook the lead with Nestor Castillo's RBI single in the bottom half of the fourth inning, making it 2-1.
The Spikes would pull into the lead for the first time, however, when Kirk Singer sent the first pitch he saw in the fifth inning over the left field wall for a two-run home run. The blast was Singer's first as a professional, and put State College up, 3-2. Chris Lashmet extended the lead to 4-2 when he followed Samuel Gonzalez's triple with a run-scoring single.
The Jammers responded with runs in the sixth and seventh innings to tie the game, 4-4, but Jesus Brito forced an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the seventh to prevent Jamestown from taking the lead. State College followed Brito's heroics with two runs in the eighth inning, as Ashley Ponce walked with the bases loaded and Alex Fuselier brought in a run on a groundout to make it 6-4 before Jamestown's subsequent comeback in the ninth.
Dickerson was the lone Spike with multiple hits, and scored three runs in the game.
Josh Poytress (4-2) earned the win with scoreless relief in the 11th and 12th innings, yielding one hit and one walk while recording the only three Spikes strikeouts of the night. State College starter Matt Benedict went 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs, two of them earned on seven hits and two walks. De Leon suffered his first blown save after allowing the tying runs to score in the ninth.
Jammers reliever Curtis Petersen (2-3) took the loss after giving up the winning run in the 12th frame. Petersen went a total of two innings and allowed one hit and one walk. Jamestown starter Matthew Neil went seven innings for the second time the season, allowing four runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out three in a no-decision.
Barnes doubled twice for the Jammers, while both Smith and Castillo produced three-hit games. Smith also scored three runs and stole two bases for Jamestown.
State College had fallen, 7-6, in a prior 12-inning game against the Jammers on June 25 of this season. Petersen had recorded the victory in that game.
Monday, the Spikes and Jammers finish their stretch of four straight games against each other with a 7:05 p.m. matchup at Russell Diethrick Park. State College will have right-hander Ryan Hafner (1-3) on the mound to start. Hafner earned his first professional victory this past Wednesday at Vermont, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks over five innings.
Jamestown will send right-hander Josh Hodges (5-0) to the mound. Hodges will make his 11th start, and has gone at least six innings in five of his last six starts. He has not yet faced State College in any start this season.
The Spikes return home to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park to start a six-game homestand on Tuesday, when they face the Aberdeen IronBirds (Baltimore Orioles) at 7:05 p.m.
