WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – Kyle Russell added two more hits and another RBI to maintain a strong series for the State College Spikes, but the Williamsport Crosscutters used an early surge and two late homers to take a 12-5 win on Sunday afternoon at Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field.
Russell, a product of Washington State who collected three hits and knocked in two runs last night in a win over Williamsport (4-6 2nd Half), singled in the seventh before his RBI double in the ninth briefly kept State College’s (5-5 2nd Half) hopes alive.
Nick Hohenstein produced four innings of one-hit relief for the Spikes, allowing four hits and a walk while striking out two batters.
Williamsport scored two runs in the first and three in the second to take a 5-0 lead, then got a seventh-inning grand slam off the left field foul pole from Porter Brown as part of a five-RBI night and a two-run homer from Mitch McCabe in the eighth.
Crosscutters starter Brent Francisco (1-0) logged 5 2/3 innings in his Williamsport debut for the win. Francisco was charged with three runs, two of which came after he left the mound, on four hits while posting nine strikeouts.
Starter Chris Shull (0-1) took the loss for State College, going just over one inning on the hill.
Monday, the Spikes take back to the road for the opener of a three-game series against the Frederick Keys at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium. The 7 p.m. matchup will feature right-hander Phillip Bryant (0-1) on the mound for State College against Frederick left-hander Gage Bihm (0-1).
Following the conclusion of the series against the Keys, the Spikes will return home for a seven-game homestand to begin August. The run of August home games begins with the third Bark in the Park Night of the season presented by the Centre Daily Times on Thursday, August 1, featuring Dugout the Baseball Dog welcoming his canine friends to the ballpark for a night of fun on $1 Beer Night at Thirsty Thursday presented by The BUS.
To purchase tickets to the upcoming homestand and every remaining home game on the Spikes’ 2024 schedule at the new-look Medlar Field at Lubrano Park through September 3, fans can call 814-272-1711 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 24/7, and view the 2024 promotional schedule, by visiting StateCollegeSpikes.com.
Catch all of the action of the Spikes’ game on Monday 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 Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium 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.
