close
close

Spikes surge in ninth inning to secure 6-2 victory over scrappers

Spikes surge in ninth inning to secure 6-2 victory over scrappers

State University Peaks

July 20, 2024 – Major League Baseball Draft League (MLBDL)
State College Raises Press Release

NILES, Ohio – With their final out of the ninth inning, the State College Spikes forced open the door left open by the Mahoning Valley Scrappers on an untimely error and powered through five runs to a 6-2 victory Saturday night at Eastwood Field.

Trailing 2-1 going into their final at-bat, the Spikes (1-2 bottom half) began their rally when Austin Baal led off with a walk. After a flyout and strikeout put Will Jewell in the plate as State College’s last hope, the Houston Christian product singled to right field to send Ball to second.

TJ Pound then worked a walk to load the bases, and after Josh Spiegel had recorded two strikes, his ground ball to third was juggled by Jake Tsukada, allowing the tying run to score. The Spikes then jumped on the opportunity, with Caleb Hill’s bouncing single up the middle scoring two more runs, and Cooper Hext’s single to right scoring two more.

David Lee, the Penn State product who had joined the Spikes just hours before the game, then pitched a scoreless ninth inning to give State College its first win in the second half of the MLB Draft League.

The game began as a pitching duel. State College starter Jeremy Neff, a left-handed pitcher from Virginia Tech, allowed just one run on two hits and four walks while striking out seven batters in six innings. Mahoning Valley (2-1 bottom half) starter Grant Umberger fared even better, allowing just two hits in six scoreless innings while also striking out seven.

Drey Dirksen’s RBI single in the third inning gave the Scrappers an early lead. After Baal tied the game for the Spikes in the seventh with a double to score Grant Norris, Drew Holderbach hit a fly ball over a pulled infield to score Tsukada with the go-ahead run for Mahoning Valley in the bottom half of the same frame.

Daelan Caraway (1-0), a right-hander from McNeese State, picked up the win in his Spikes debut after pitching a scoreless eighth inning. AJ Riddle (1-1), who earned the win as a reliever in Thursday’s series opener, suffered the loss Saturday despite allowing all five runs unearned.

On Sunday, the Spikes and Scrappers conclude their four-game series to open the second half of the MLB Draft League schedule with a 2:05 p.m. matinee at Eastwood Field. The pitching matchups for Sunday’s game have not yet been determined.

The Spikes’ home schedule resumes on Tuesday, July 23, with a 6:35 p.m. game against the Frederick Keys in a Walking Taco Tuesday presented by Bigfoot Country Legends. There will be half-price Walking Tacos at the Salsa Stand throughout the game, plus half-price Miller Lite and Coors Light from 5:30-7:30 p.m. There will also be a Festivus in July.

To purchase tickets for all remaining 2024 Spikes home games at the renovated Medlar Field at Lubrano Park through Sept. 3, fans can call 814-272-1711 or stop by the Spikes Ticket Office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. On home game days, tickets are open from 9 a.m. to close of game Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to close of game Saturday and Sunday.

Fans can also purchase and download individual game tickets 24/7 and view the 2024 promotional schedule at StateCollegeSpikes.com.

Follow all the action from Sunday’s Spikes game on the Spikes Radio Network, presented by Penn State Sports Medicine, Official Healthcare Provider of Penn State Athletics with Joe Putnam on the line. The broadcast begins with Spikes Live! presented by Mount Nittany Health airing from Eastwood Field at approximately 1:50 p.m.

The game can be watched worldwide on Pixellot’s MLB Draft League streaming platform at MLB.watch.pixellot.tv and in the Watch section of the MLB app by scrolling to the Watch Now tab, along with the “Listen Live” link on StateCollegeSpikes.com and the TuneIn Radio app.

• Discuss this story on the Major League Baseball Draft League message board…

The opinions expressed in this press release are those of the organization issuing the press release and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.