FREDERICK, Md. – Owen Ayers drove in four runs, three on a go-ahead homer in the fifth, and **Josh Mollerus **and Daniel Harper shut it down over the last two frames to give the State College Spikes a 7-5 win over the Frederick Keys on Tuesday night at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium.
Ayers smashed his second home run of the Major League Baseball Draft League season on a 2-0 pitch from Frederick (10-11) reliever Allan Saathoff (1-1) with two outs in the fifth to erase what had been a 5-3 Keys lead.
The Spikes (10-12) catcher then delivered an insurance run in the seventh when he plated Tyler Williams with an infield single after Williams led off the inning by tripling to right field to cap a 4-for-4 night at the plate.
After Ayers gave State College the lead, Mollerus and Harper (1) made sure it stood up. Mollerus followed two perfect innings to help the Spikes’ comeback win over Trenton on Thursday with a scoreless, one-hit sixth on Tuesday.
Harper, who recorded all three outs in the Sudden Death Tiebreaker inning to give the Spikes that win over Trenton, overcame a hit and a walk to notch back-to-back strikeouts that ended the game and gave him his first official save with State College.
The Spikes took the opening lead of the game in the first when Lyndon Weaver doubled and scored on Will Simpson’s double. Simpson then scored on a bloop single from Tyler Williams.
State College starter Mason Olson allowed just one hit while striking out two over three shutout innings, lowering his ERA to 0.53, just below Trenton’s Alec Whaley and his 0.48 mark on the MLB Draft League leaderboard.
Connor Brandon (1-0) picked up the win as the pitcher of record despite yielding three runs, only one of which was earned, on two hits and a walk over his inning of work.
Saathoff took the loss on the mound for Frederick after being tagged for a total of four runs on six hits and a walk over two innings. The right-hander recorded one strikeout.
Tuesday’s game was seven innings in length in accordance with MLB Draft League player safety rules. All Tuesday games during the first half of the season, running until July 16, will be seven innings, excluding home openers. All Tuesday games during the season’s second half from July 22 to the MLB Draft League Championship Game on September 6 will be nine innings.
Wednesday, the Spikes and Keys meet at 7:00 p.m for a nine-inning matchup at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium. State College will send right-hander **Jared Kengott **(0-0) to the mound after the Emporia State (Kan.) product has recorded a 2.92 ERA over his four appearances, three of them starts, this season. Frederick will go with right-hander Jonathan Pintaro (0-0), holder of a 0.69 ERA over 13 MLB Draft League innings in 2022.
After the series in Frederick, the Spikes’ Two Millionth Fan Celebration culminates at a trio of home games against the West Virginia Black Bears this Independence Day weekend.
Fans have been entering to become the Spikes’ commemorative Two Millionth Fan at the Lion Country Kia Plinko table on the concourse, with one finalist for the honors drawn at each of the six home games from June 23 to July 3. One additional finalist will be drawn from the Spikes’ array of season ticket holders, and all finalists will be invited onto the field after the Spikes’ home game on Sunday, July 3, where one fan will be named the Spikes’ commemorative Two Millionth Fan.
The Spikes’ commemorative Two Millionth Fan will receive the Two Millionth Fan Ultimate Lifetime Prize Pack, which includes Spikes season tickets for life for the seat of their choice in the ballpark, a Shopping Spree at the Spikes’ official team store, Off the Rack Outfitters, a guaranteed 20-person Luxury Suite night in the Geisinger Champions Club at one Spikes home game per season for life, a guarantee to receive all remaining 2022 Spikes giveaways, and many more sensational prizes befitting the Two Millionth Fan.
More highlights of the homestand include Strangest Things Night at the ballpark on a 4 for $44 Friday presented by 95.3 3WZ on Friday, July 1, **Bark in the Park II **presented by the **Centre Daily Times **on Saturday, July 2, and a special post-game blast-off by the **Human Cannonball, David Smith Jr. **along with **FIREWORKS **presented by the **PA Lottery **on Military Appreciation Night presented by Lion Country Kia on Sunday, July 3 when the commemorative Two Millionth Fan will be revealed.
Tickets for every game in the Two Millionth Fan Celebration this Independence Day weekend, as well as every game on the Spikes’ biggest regular season home schedule in franchise history, are available now. Tickets can be purchased by calling (814) 272-1711 or by visiting the Spikes Ticket Office in person from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
More ticket packages, including Flex Books and an array of group and hospitality options for the 2022 season, are currently on sale by calling the Spikes at (814) 272-1711. Additional information on all club ticketing options, as well as team news and schedule info, can be viewed at StateCollegeSpikes.com.
Catch all of the action on Wednesday via the Spikes Radio Network presented by **Penn State Sports Medicine, Official Healthcare Provider of Penn State Athletics **with Joe Putnam on the call. The broadcast starts with Spikes Live! presented by Mount Nittany Health, on the air from Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium at 6:45 p.m.
The game can be viewed worldwide on the MLB Draft League streaming platform at MLBDraftLeague.com/streaming, along with the “Listen Live” link on StateCollegeSpikes.com and the TuneIn Radio app.
