RONDON’S SOLID START NOT ENOUGH IN SPIKES’ 4-2 LOSS TO CROSSCUTTERS

By rscaife
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Updated: June 29, 2018

Courtesy of the State College Spikes

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Angel Rondon delivered 5 2/3 effective innings on the mound, but the State College Spikes fell to the Williamsport Crosscutters, 4-2, on Thursday night at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field.

Rondon (0-2), who threw seven scoreless frames in his last start against the Crosscutters (7-5) on June 17, gave up just two runs on seven hits and a walk during the night, finishing just 1/3 of an inning shy of a quality start. The right-hander also notched three strikeouts and threw 96 pitches, 70 of them for strikes.

State College (3-10) took the lead in the third inning when Edwin Figuera took a pitch on the left elbow with the bases loaded, but Williamsport responded with the tying run on Edwin Rodriguez’s double to left in the same frame.

The Crosscutters nosed ahead in the fifth when Jonathan Guzman doubled and scored on Matt Vierling’s two-base hit two batters later.

After allowing a pair of runs in the eighth on Ben Pelletier’s double, the Spikes made another comeback attempt in the ninth, filling the bases with no one out. However, after Wadye Ynfante scored on a double-play ball, Luis Ramirez (3) struck out Delvin Perez to end the game.

Williamsport starter Jhordany Mezquita (1-0) earned the win after yielding one run on two hits, two walks and a hit batsman over five innings. Mezquita struck out five batters in the effort.

Ramirez picked up the save for the Crosscutters after allowing a run on two hits and a walk and striking out one batter in his lone inning of work.

The Spikes will now try to stop a seven-game slide when they return to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Friday to face the Crosscutters in the middle game of a three-game series. Right-hander Jim Voyles (0-1) will get the ball for State College in the 7:05 p.m. matchup. Voyles retired the first eight batters he faced, and recorded eight strikeouts, in a four-inning outing against West Virginia on Saturday.