ABERDEEN, Md. – The State College Spikes pulled a bold double steal to take the lead in the sixth inning, but the Aberdeen IronBirds responded with three runs in the bottom half to help spoil the Spikes’ unbeaten second half and capture a 7-4 decision on Saturday night at IBEW Local 24 Union Field at Ripken Stadium.
Trailing 4-3 going into the sixth, the Spikes (3-1 2nd Half) tied the game when Hudson Shupe led off with a double, advanced to third base on Stan DeMartinis III’s single to center field and scored on a double-play ball.
Catcher Ethan Swidler then drew a walk and moved to third when the IronBirds (2-2 2nd Half) erred on Jackson Rains’s grounder. With Luke Nomura at the plate, the Spikes then swung into action, with Rains taking second base before Swidler took off for home and stole his first base of the year to give State College the lead.
However, back-to-back doubles for Brayden Simpson and Max Galvin knotted the game in the bottom half before Dylan Winebrenner’s sacrifice fly and a Patrick McCullough RBI groundout put the game out of reach.
DeMartinis collected three hits in his return to the lineup for the Spikes.
Aberdeen took the early lead, then built it bigger on Nathan Earley’s 443-foot, two-run homer to center field in the third. Earley added to his first homer of the year with a wall-ball triple in the seventh.
Reliever Nick Greaney (1-0) picked up the win, allowing two runs, one of them earned, on three hits and a walk over two innings of work. Greaney struck out two batters. Jake Geis (1) gave up a single to DeMartinis for the first baserunner he had allowed this season, then retired the next six batters in order for the save.
JJ Reyes (0-1) took the loss in relief for State College after being charged with three runs on two hits and three walks over two innings.
Spikes starter Vincent Spizzoucco struck out five batters over four innings on the hill while being tagged with three runs, all unearned.
The game was delayed 42 minutes at the outset by rain showers that passed through the Aberdeen area.
The Spikes received good news before the game as Dominic Pellegrin, who led the MLB Draft League with a .569 on-base percentage while playing in State College for the first half of the season, was selected in the fourth round of the MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers.
The Spikes and IronBirds now meet on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. for the rubber match of their three-game series at IBEW Local 24 Union Field at Ripken Stadium. The Spikes will send JD Rodriguez, a 6’5” righty out of Tulane, to the mound in his first start with the club.
Following Sunday’s game, the Spikes will have an off day on Monday before resuming the 20th Anniversary Season home schedule with a three-game series against the Williamsport Crosscutters from Tuesday, July 14 through Thursday, July 16.
Fans will be able to enjoy a trio of Daily Value Promotions, with Walking Taco Tuesday presented by Bigfoot Country Legends featuring half-price Walking Tacos all game long and half-price Miller Lite and Coors Light from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Glizzy and Wine Wednesday presented by Seven Mountains Wine Cellars featuring half-price Hot Dogs all game long and half-price Seven Mountains Wine Cellars wine and Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., and Thirsty Thursday presented by The BUS featuring $2 12-oz. drafts from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Tickets for all three games, 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 IronBirds on Sunday 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 1:45 p.m.
Audio streaming of every Spikes game, home and away, is available on StateCollegeSpikes.com.
