WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – The State College Spikes got the fireworks going early as Luke Nomura hit his first Spikes homer and Tyree Reed notched his fourth long ball of the year, but the Williamsport Crosscutters ended up outslugging the Spikes to win, 20-9, on the Fourth of July at Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field to wrap up an MLB Draft League first-half championship.
The Spikes (13-15), who have produced 26 hits in three games against the Crosscutters (20-7) so far over the holiday weekend, bounced back from Williamsport’s early barrage to put up four runs in the fourth on bases-loaded walks from Nomura and Trent Turner, followed by RBI singles from Evan York and Trent Turner.
Nomura then started the Spikes’ power surge in the sixth with a 393-foot, two-run shot to left field. Four batters later, Reed launched a 397-foot, two-run homer to left field to bring State College back to within 14-9, though that would be the closest they would be for the remainder of the game.
Reed’s four homers lead the way for the Spikes and are second-most in the MLB Draft League, while his 20 runs batted tie him with C.J. Richmond for the club lead.
Williamsport pounded out 21 hits in the game, including two home runs of their own. Ben Tryon started the homer party with a solo shot in the fifth, his second as a Crosscutter, and increased his RBI total to an MLB Draft League-leading 31. Chris Stanfield then homered to the left field bullpen in the sixth for a three-run dinger, his first of the season.
Tryon finished just a triple shy of the cycle in a three-hit game, while Stanfield, Kyle Schupmann and Chance Jennings also produced three this apiece. Jennings’s three included two doubles and a triple.
The Crosscutters (20-7) will now face the league’s second-half winner, or the second-place team in the second half should they finish at the top then too, in the MLB Draft League Championship Game on Wednesday, September 2 at Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field.
Spikes starter Cal Culpepper (0-1) took the loss on Saturday, while Crosscutters reliever Jaden Noot (1-0) was credited with the win after two scoreless innings.
Sunday, the Spikes and Crosscutters shift location one last time in their four-game series as they head back to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for a 6:35 p.m. matchup to round out the first half of the MLB Draft League schedule.Right-hander Carson Lane (0-0) is scheduled to go on the mound for the Spikes against Williamsport left-hander Alex Walsh (0-0).
The first-half finale is headlined by Old School Baseball Night, featuring a throwback, no-frills presentation with lots of organ music at the 6:35 p.m. game against the Crosscutters, along with a Sunday Funday presented by Big Froggy 101 and Kids Run the Bases presented by Mount Nittany Health.
Tickets for Sunday’s game, along with every remaining home game on the 20th Anniversary Season schedule, are available by calling 814-271-1711 or by visiting the Spikes Ticket Office from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, with hours during home game days of 10 a.m. to the end of the game Monday through Friday and 12 p.m. to the end of the game on Saturday and Sunday.
Fans can also buy and download single-game tickets, and view the 2026 promotional schedule, by visiting StateCollegeSpikes.com.
Catch all the action of the Spikes’ game against the Crosscutters on Sunday via the Spikes Radio Network presented by Penn State Sports Medicine, Official Healthcare Provider of Penn State Athletics with Steve Jones and 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 starting at approximately 6:05 p.m.
Audio streaming of every Spikes game, home and away, is available on StateCollegeSpikes.com.
