ABERDEEN, Md. – Kolt Myers delivered the State College Spikes’ first inside-the-park home run in nearly three years, CJ Richmond smashed his first home run as a Spike one batter later, and four pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout in a 12-0 victory over the Aberdeen IronBirds on Wednesday night at IBEW 24 Union Field at Ripken Stadium.
The win gave the Spikes (4-4) their first-ever series victory over the IronBirds (2-5) in Aberdeen in their fifth visit since 2006 and first since 2015.
Myers stepped up to the plate with a runner on in the third inning and sent a line drive to center fielder that eluded the dive of the IronBirds’ Nelson Zapata before rolling all the wall to the wall for a two-run homer, his first with the club.
The inside-the-parker was State College’s first since July 4, 2023, when Aden Howard hit one as part of a two-homer day in Williamsport against the Crosscutters.
After Myers completed his dash around the bases, Richmond sent the first pitch he saw over the right-field wall for a more conventional home run to extend the lead to 4-0.
The Purdue first baseman went 3-for-3 at the plate with two walks, knocking in two runs and scoring four on the night.
Matching the effort of the bats were the four State College arms, who did not allow a hit past the second inning. Parker Detmers opened with 1 2/3 innings of one-hit ball, followed by Lukas McDowell (1-0), who matched his longest outing of the year with 2 1/3 innings of one-hit ball in his own right.
Garrett Shearer then posted three scoreless innings for the second straight appearance, striking out three batters and yielding just two walks. Cale Willson finished things off by giving up one walk and one hit batsman while striking out two batters over two innings.
The Spikes piled on late with three runs in the eighth inning and four in the ninth to extend the final margin. Alex Mendoza Jr. drove in three runs to aid the State College offensive onslaught.
Aberdeen starter Michael Orbegozo (0-1) took the loss after allowing four runs over four innings. Chase Williams’s single in the first and Elijah Coston’s double in the second accounted for the only IronBirds hits.
Thursday, the Spikes go for a sweep of the three-game series as they take on the IronBirds at 7:00 p.m. at IBEW Local 24 Union Field at Ripken Stadium. Right-hander Chance Acord (0-0) will make his second start of the season on the mound for State College, while Aberdeen right-hander Finnegan Wall (0-1) is set to make his third appearance and second start for Aberdeen.
After a six-game road trip through Sunday, the Spikes will come back to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for the first six-game homestand of their 20th Anniversary Season from Tuesday, June 16 through Sunday, June 21, hosting the Canadian Junior National Team for a trio of games in the MLB Draft League International Series before a three-game series with the Thunder.
Highlights include the three-night Salute to Canada in honor of our visiting neighbors to the north, with a Salute to Canadian Music on Tuesday, June 16, a Salute to Maple Syrup on Wednesday, June 17, and Runner-Up Celebration Night featuring a Silver Medal Giveaway for the first 500 fans on Thursday, June 18, along with the first Bark in the Park Night of the 2026 home schedule on Friday, June 19 and BuccoMania Night as part of the 20th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, June 20.
Tickets for all six-games in the homestand from June 16-21, along with every remaining home game on the 20thAnniversary Season schedule, are available by calling 814-271-1711 or by visiting 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 and 10 a.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 of the action of the Spikes’ game against the IronBirds on Thursday 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 IBEW Local 24 Union Field at Ripken Stadium starting at approximately 6:45 p.m.
Audio streaming of every Spikes game, home and away, is available on StateCollegeSpikes.com.
