In their first night back home since Friday and their first game since Sunday, the State College Spikes had a great chance to turn the tides of a losing streak and show off their skills to the home fans.

They were unable to do so at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park last night. By not getting the offense started until the eighth and ninth innings, the Spikes had no chance of a comeback or a stop to their three-game losing streak, falling to the Oneonta Tigers, 4-1.

After an hour-long rain delay, Duke Welker got his first start as a pitcher for State College in front of 2,723 Spikes fans.

Welker, a second round draft pick in 2007, had taken some time off after graduating from college in May. He pitched solid through five innings except for one pitch.

In the second inning, with a runner on third, Welker lobbed one over the plate and allowed Tiger first baseman Chris Carlson a straight shot to the right field seats to put Oneonta up 2-0. They scored two more in the seventh, a number that would be enough to shut down State College.

"It was a solid outing," manager Turner Ward said. "The ball the kid hit out was a three-two fastball, up and away. The guy barreled the ball really well.

"But [Welker] settled down right after that, which showed you something."

In the ninth inning, with the score 4-1 in favor of the Tigers, the Spikes had a scoring opportunity and threatened by loading the bases with two outs. However, when centerfielder Keanon Simon came up to bat, he hit the first pitch and flied out to left field.

"We, in the past three games, haven't swung the bat like we have been," Ward said. "The pitching did enough to win, it's just time to get some runs."

First baseman Justin Byler got the first and only RBI of the game with a double in the bottom of the eighth, scoring shortstop Michael Ambrose.

With this loss, the team's losing streak is now at three games. It will try again to slow the skid when it returns to Medlar Field tonight at 7:05 p.m. for another game with the Tigers.