UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The State College Spikes stole a franchise-record nine bases and mounted a furious comeback from five runs down in which they put the tying run in scoring position in each of the last two innings, but the West Virginia Black Bears prevailed, 8-7, on Thursday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
With the result, West Virginia (21-15 2nd Half) solidified its hold on first place in the MLB Draft League second-half standings with six games remaining for every team in the league. Trenton (20-15 2nd Half) defeated first-half champion Williamsport to remain a half-game back, while Mahoning Valley’s (19-16 2nd Half) loss to Frederick (18-18 2nd Half) dropped them into a virtual tie for third with the Spikes (20-17 2nd Half), 1 ½ games back of the lead.
Down 8-3 entering the eighth, the Spikes started their rally with singles from Parker Coddou and Cam Bufford. After Austin Roccaforte brought in Coddou with a double to right field, Kyle Russell knocked in Bufford with a single to right field to draw State College within 8-5.
West Virginia then went back to the bullpen with right-hander Jack Maruskin (3), but a wild pitch brought in Roccaforte and Josh Spiegel followed with an RBI double to right-center field to cut the deficit to one run.
However, Maruskin recorded back-to-back strikeouts to end the eighth, then, after Coddou walked and took second base for the Spikes’ ninth steal of the game, retired Manny Jackson and Bufford to end the contest and pick up the save.
Coddou, Russell and Cooper Hext each stole two bases of the Spikes’ record single-game total, which surpassed the eight steals recorded by State College on two previous occasions – June 11, 2022 against Williamsport and June 16, 2024 at West Virginia. Bufford, Caleb Hill and Sebastian Castro also notched steals during the night as the Spikes went a perfect 9-for-9 on the basepaths.
Kasten Furr led the way for West Virginia with a 4-for-4 night at the plate that also included a walk, an RBI and three runs. J.T. Marr, who called Medlar Field at Lubrano Park home as a Penn State Nittany Lion this spring, knocked int three runs for the Black Bears.
West Virginia reliever A.J. Stinson (2-0) threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings to earn credit for the win. State College starter Phillip Bryant (1-4), who got the late call to start in place of Jeremy Neff, allowed four runs on five hits, two walks and a hit batsman while striking out one batter over 2 2/3 innings in a losing effort.
Neff did enter the game in the fourth inning and go 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits, three walks and on hit batsman along the way. The Virginia Tech left-hander struck out five batters.
Friday, the Spikes head to Trenton Thunder Ballpark to face the namesake team for the opener of a three-game series starting at 7:00 p.m. Missouri right-hander Jacob Peaden (4-1) gets the mound call for State College as they seek to preserve their postseason hopes.
After 6:00 p.m. games on Saturday and Sunday, the Spikes will head to Williamsport for a 1:00 p.m. Labor Day matchup with the Crosscutters on Monday before the 2024 home finale at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Tuesday night at 6:35 p.m.
Spikes fans will be thrilled by one last FIREWORKS show to close out the summer on Fan Appreciation Night, along with the return of Dollar Dog Night on a Tuesday at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Dollar Dog Mania gripped Nittany Nation every Tuesday home game this spring, and the mania continues as the first 2,000 hot dogs go for just $1 apiece at the home finale.
The first 500 fans can also join in the fun with a Dollar Dog T-Shirt Giveaway presented by McClure Company.
Plus, Ace Baldwin Jr. is returning for another season in the Blue and White, and he'll be on hand at the State College Spikes' 2024 home finale to celebrate with hoops fans across Happy Valley.
Baldwin, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2024, will meet and greet fans, appear as a special guest on Spikes Live! presented by Mount Nittany Health and throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game before participating in the ballpark fun and signing autographs during the game.
To purchase tickets to the 2024 home final, fans can call 814-272-1711 or visit the Spikes Ticket Office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, with hours during home game days of 9 a.m. to the end of the game Monday through Friday. The Ticket Office will be closed on Labor Day Monday.
Fans can also buy and download single-game tickets 24/7, and view the 2024 promotional schedule, by visiting StateCollegeSpikes.com.
Catch all of the action of the Spikes’ game on Friday 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 Trenton Thunder Ballpark at approximately 6:45 p.m.
The game can be viewed worldwide on the MLB Draft League streaming platform powered by Pixellot at MLB.watch.pixellot.tv and the Watch section of the MLB app by scrolling the Watch Now tab, along with the “Listen Live” link on StateCollegeSpikes.com and the TuneIn Radio app.
