UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Thomas Wilhite, Tristen Hudson, Kiernan Higgins and Daniel Harper combined to hold the Mahoning Valley Scrappers to two hits in a shutout effort, and Alex Toral’s RBI single in the State College Spikes’ last at-bat led a three-run flurry to give the Spikes a 3-0 victory on Tuesday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
One outing after tossing four no-hit innings against the Scrappers (15-20), Wilhite led the dominance with four innings in which he yielded both of Mahoning Valley’s hits – Matt Archer’s triple in the second and Reed Chumley’s single in the fourth. The right-hander gave up nothing else, however, and recorded one strikeout to stretch his personal scoreless string to nine innings.
The Spikes (16-18) relievers were then perfect to finish the game. Hudson, a new addition to the Spikes who was the closer on North Greenville’s NCAA Division II national championship team this spring, notched two strikeouts in the fifth, while Higgins (2-0) struck out one batter and was credited with the win.
Harper (3) struck out the first two batters he faced in the seventh and final inning before eliciting a Zach Storbakken flyout to end the game.
After 5 ½ innings of goose eggs, State College started the sixth with Ty Hill’s walk and, after a flyout, Kevin Karstetter then singled Hill to third. Alex Toral then stepped up and flared a ball to center field to score Hill, followed by a double steal to move the runners to second and third. Lukas Cook hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Karstetter, followed by John Mead’s single to bring in Toral and complete the scoring.
Tuesday’s game was the final scheduled seven-inning game of the season for both teams. All Tuesday games during the first half of the season were seven innings in accordance with MLB Draft League player safety rules. 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.
Scrappers starter Michael Brewer (1-1) took the loss after yielding all three Spikes runs in the sixth. Brewer went a total of 5 2/3 innings, the longest start of the year in the MLB Draft League. The right-hander gave up a total of six hits and three walks while striking out five batters.
With the win, the Spikes earned their first series victory of the season at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Wednesday, the Spikes and Scrappers meet at 6:35 p.m. for a nine-inning game to close out the three-game series between the clubs. State College will seek the sweep with right-hander Brendan Knoll (0-0) on the mound, while Mahoning Valley will go with right-hander Frank Elissalt (0-1) on the hill.
It’s Kids Take Over the Ballpark, as kids who have previously signed up take over different roles throughout the ballpark during the evening. Plus, after the game, all youngsters can participate in Kids Run the Bases Home Run Edition presented by Mount Nittany Health.
Fans of a riper age can enjoy Wine Wednesday presented by Seven Mountains Wine Cellars, featuring half-price glasses of wine from 5:30 to 7:30. In addition, a Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy Happy Hour will featured half-price Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy from 5:30 to 7:30.
The Spikes will finish off their four-game homestand at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Thursday, when the Williamsport Crosscutters come to town for a 6:35 p.m. game on a Thirsty Thursday and Ag Night.
Tickets for Wednesday and Thursday’s games, 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.
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 Medlar Field at Lubrano Park at approximately 6:10 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.
