NILES, Ohio – Louis Davenport III matched the most strikeouts ever recorded by a State College Spikes pitcher in a single game with 12 whiffs on Tuesday night to lead the Spikes to an 8-1 win over the Mahoning Valley Scrappers at Eastwood Field.
Davenport (1-0), a right-hander out of Marshall who led the Spikes (14-9 2nd half) in innings pitched in 2021, got stronger as the game went on, recording seven of his strikeouts over an eight-batter span from the third through fifth innings before notching his 12th strikeout on a swinging strike three from Adam Fogel in the sixth inning.
The Atlanta native joined Jacob Schlesener, who notched 12 strikeouts on July 3, 2019 at the Batavia Muckdogs, in the Spikes record book. Davenport logged a total of 5 2/3 innings on the night and allowed four hits, two walks and a hit batsman while being charged with an unearned run that scored after he left the mound.
With the win, State College moved into sole possession of second place in the MLB Draft League second-half standings with 17 games remaining, one game back of West Virginia at 15-8. However, since West Virginia won the first-half title, should they win both halves, the second-half berth in the MLB Draft League Championship Game would go to the second-place team, putting the Spikes in the driver’s seat for the postseason hunt.
Offensively, Trent Taylor extended his hitting streak to an MLB Draft League-best 15 games with a single over the 6’5” Fogel to right field in the eighth before plating the Spikes’ final run of the night with a ninth-inning sacrifice fly. Brock Reller also extended his own hitting streak to 12 games, knocking in one of the Spikes’ five third-inning runs and going 2-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored.
Reller’s RBI was the only one in State College’s outburst in the third, as the Spikes took advantage of three Mahoning Valley (7-16 2nd half) outfield errors and a wild pitch to score their remaining runs in the frame. Devin Buckner singled between first and second to bring in Taylor in the eighth, with Nick Gile doubling off the bag at third to plate Reller for the Spikes’ other run in the same inning.
Other contributors to the Spikes’ 14-hit barrage were Dawson Bailey, who went 2-for-4 with a double, and Brody Perkes, who notched a trio of singles, all in his first three at-bats.
Isaiah Magwood contributed 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, while Chris Macca allowed just one walk and struck out two batters in two shutout innings to finish out the game on the mound for State College.
Scrappers starter Jacob Harsany (1-4) took the loss after allowing five runs, four of them earned, on eight hits and a hit batsman over five innings. Harsany struck out four batters in the effort.
Wednesday, the Spikes and Scrappers meet at 7:05 p.m. for the middle game of their three-game series at Eastwood Field. Right-hander Joe Battaglia (0-0) gets the ball for State College, while Mahoning Valley will go with right-hander Isaac Olson (2-1) on the hill.
Following the mid-week set, the Spikes return home for a three-game series against the Crosscutters at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park from Friday, August 19 through Sunday, August 21.
The series will feature another chance for fans to see FIREWORKS from the Field, as College Township presents the spectacular post-game show on Saturday, August 20. It’s also Space Night on the same date, with a Pre-Game Rocket Launch.
More highlights include Heroes Night and Make-A-Wish Night on a 4 for $44 Friday presented by 95.3 3WZ on the 19th, another Super Saturday presented by the PA Lottery and B94.5 along with Baseball Bingo on the 20th, and Witches & Wizards Night on a Sunday Funday presented by Bigfoot Country Legends as part of a 4:05 p.m. game on the 21st. Plus, after all three games will be Kids Run the Bases Home Run Edition presented by Mount Nittany Health.
Tickets for the upcoming homestand, as well as all 11 remaining games on the Spikes’ biggest regular season home schedule in franchise history, including all three remaining FIREWORKS from the Field shows, 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.
Fans can also buy and download single-game tickets, and view the full 2022 promotional schedule, at the only source for authentic Spikes tickets online by visiting StateCollegeSpikes.com.
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 the action of the Spikes’ game 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 Eastwood Field at 6:50 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.
