Spikes Host Staten Island for Deciding Game 3

The State College Spikes will meet the Staten Island Yankees Friday at 7:05 p.m. at Medlar Field in the deciding game of the New York-Penn League semifinal series.

After winning game one at Staten Island, the Spikes entered the ninth inning of Thursday’s game two trailing 2-0. But Tommy Edman’s one-out single drove in Danny Hudzina and Yariel Gonzalez to tie things up.

After a 46-minute rain delay, Staten Island’s Drew Bridges knocked a solo shot over the right field wall in the top of the 10th to give the Yankees a 3-2 lead. The Spikes would load the bases with one out in the bottom half of the 10th, but pitcher Trevor Lane induced a 4-6-3 double play to end it and force a game three.

Right-hander Carson Cross gets the start for State College on Friday night. He went 5-6 with a 3.24 ERA during the regular season. Righty Simon De La Rosa (6-4, 3.38 ERA) gets the nod for Staten Island.

Tickets for Friday’s game can be purchased at the Spikes Ticket Office at Medlar Field, by calling (814) 272-1711, or online at statecollegespikes.com. Fans with four-game playoff ticket packs are reminded to use their Game B tickets for Friday’s game. Each Spikes home playoff game will feature $1 beer night.

The winner of Friday’s game will face the Hudson Valley Renegades in the New York-Penn League Championship Series. The Renegades swept Lowell in two games in their semifinal series.

The best-of-three championship series will start Sunday. If the Spikes advance, as the top seed they would host game two on Monday and, if necessary, game three on Tuesday.