GRANVILLE, W. Va. – Camden Ross extended his on-base streak to 25 games and Justin Journette delivered a laser shot to left field for his seventh homer of the year, but the State College Spikes saw their 6-0 lead dwindle until Zack Thompson hit a walk-off grand slam to give the West Virginia Black Bears a 10-8 win on Thursday night at Kendrick Family Ballpark.
Journette’s two-run, line-drive homer into the Spikes (16-1315 2nd Half) bullpen in the fifth capped a four-run frame and gave State College a six-run lead. The long ball left the bat at 110 miles per hour, the second-hardest hit homer in the MLB Draft League this season.
Jacoby Long also helped the Spikes with three hits, including a double, and had a hand in each of the first four State College runs by scoring three and knocking in the other.
However, West Virginia (15-16 2nd Half) started to come back with Ben Barrett’s RBI triple and Thompson’s run-scoring double in the sixth.
Ross extended the Spikes’ lead back to 7-2 and drew to within a game of the franchise’s record on-base streak with an RBI double to left-center field in his last at-bat of the night. Ross can now tie Rowan Wick’s streak, set as Wick concluded his time with the Spikes in 2014, on Friday night in Trenton.
The Black Bears took advantage of three Spikes errors in the eighth to trim the margin to 7-5 before Nyan Hayes, who notched two hits and a stolen base at the plate, threw Barrett out at the plate to end the inning.
State College added an apparent insurance run in the ninth on Hayes’s RBI single before Owen Petrich led off the bottom half with a walk. After Elijah Cook singled and Cayden Gaskin struck out, 2024 Spikes infielder Blake Wilson loaded the bases with a single to left field in his West Virginia debut.
Barrett was then hit by a pitch to bring in a run before Thompson launched his second grand slam in the space of a week to right field to win the game for the Black Bears.
Patrick Morris (2-1) took the loss on the mound for the Spikes, while Dawson Hall (1-1) picked up the win for West Virginia.
State College starter Trey Cehajic put together the longest outing of the year for any Spikes pitcher by going 5 2/3 innings and yielding two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out seven batters, tied for second-most in a single outing for the Spikes this season.
The Spikes now make the trek across the MLB Draft League map to face the Trenton Thunder in the opener of a three-game series at Trenton Thunder Ballpark on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. Right-hander Haden Luke (2-1) is slated to get the ball for State College, while Trenton is scheduled to open with right-hander Blake Donnan (0-0).
After road trip concludes this weekend with games on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. and Sunday at 5:00 p.m. in Trenton, the Spikes will return home on Tuesday, August 18 for a five-game homestand at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
All five games will start at 6:35 p.m. and fans can enjoy a quintet of Daily Value Promotions, starting with a pair of matchups against the Williamsport Crosscutters on a Walking Taco Tuesday presented by Bigfoot Country Legends and a Glizzy & Wine Wednesday presented by Seven Mountains Wine Cellars.
The Spikes will then face the Thunder for a three-game series from August 20-22, including a Thirsty Thursday presented by The BUS and a 4-Pack Friday presented by 93.7 3WZ before finishing with FIREWORKS along with a 20th Anniversary Season Poster Giveaway on Saturday, August 22.
Tickets for the upcoming homestand, along with all eight remaining home games 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.
Spikes fans can also celebrate the final month of the 20th Anniversary Season with 20% off single-game tickets and select Luxury Suites at the ballpark with the 20/20 Special presented by The Clubhouse Family Fun Centre at the Nittany Valley Sports Centre.
That's not just 20% off Diamond Club, Field Box, Bullpen Box and Outfield Bleacher seats - even select Luxury Suites from Tuesday to Thursday are 20% off for every remaining home game in our 20th Anniversary Season.
Use promo code AUGUST20 by phone at 814-272-1711, at the Spikes Ticket Office, or click this link: https://www.ticketreturn.com/prod2new/team.asp?SponsorID=19353&promocode=AUGUST20
Fans can use promo code AUGUST20 to 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 Thunder 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 starting at approximately 6:45 p.m.
Audio streaming of every Spikes game, home and away, is available on StateCollegeSpikes.com.
