Spikes' starting pitcher Kyle McPherson was probably getting sick and tired of turning his neck right and watching the ball sail out of the yard last night at Russell E. Diethrick Jr. Park.
Five times during a two-inning span in last night's game, the right-hander was forced to watch his pitches soar past him over the left field fence and onto the green field beyond.
Those shots over the wall guided first-place Jamestown to the rubbermatch of the three-game series against State College, winning 13-4 last night.
For the third straight game against the Jammers (22-9), the Spikes jumped out to an early three-run lead. First baseman Calvin Anderson continued his torrid hitting by going 3-for-4, including his 19th RBI of the season in the first inning. Then in the second inning, shortstop Chase d'Arnaud singled and stole second before a Mark Carver single drove in d'Arnaud. Cole White, who extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a first-inning lead-off single, later brought home Quincy Latimore on a sacrifice fly.
But just as they did two nights ago, the Spikes (8-24) quickly saw their early lead evaporate -- this time at the expense of the long ball.
Spikes' scheduled starter Rudy Owens was scrapped because he and McPherson were recently dubbed as a "piggy-back" tandem, where each pitcher will alternate starting their game in the rotation before being relieved by the other.
McPherson allowed all five home runs before being relieved in the fourth inning by Owens. Brandon Turner and Lonnie Lechelt hit back-to-back dingers in the second inning, this after Mitch Macdonald laced a one-out line drive home run earlier.
Owens stopped the immediate bleeding by pitching two scoreless innings before getting flustered by the Jammers' bats in the sixth. The Spikes committed two errors in the inning, loading the bases before an Owens wild pitch eluded Carver and allowed a run to score.
The Spikes committed three errors last night.
With the Jammers knocking around the Spikes' bullpen for nine runs last night -- Jamestown had a combined 30 hits the last two nights -- the bullpen is starting to look overwhelmingly exhausted.
Owen Brolsma relieved Owens in the eighth inning with two outs. Brolsma then surrendered three runs in that inning after five straight Jammers reached base.
The Jammers' Paul Gran followed up his historic night -- Gran got on base all six times he was up to bat two nights ago at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park -- by going 3-for-4 with a homerun and three RBI. Every Jammers starter got a base hit.
After losing the rubbermatch of a three-game set with the Jammers, the Spikes now head north to Lowell, Mass. to take on the Lowell Spinners for three games.
