TRENTON, N.J. – Samuel Benjamin hit his Major League Baseball Draft League-leading fourth home run of the season and the State College Spikes mounted a furious flurry in the ninth, but the Trenton Thunder prevailed, 9-5, on Thursday night at Trenton Thunder Ballpark.
Benjamin slugged a 402-foot solo shot off the videoboard in right-center field in the third inning to put the Spikes (10-11) into the run column. The dinger off Trenton (8-11) starter Miles Langhorne also allowed Benjamin, a Houston Christian product, to bolster his MLB Draft League lead in runs batted in with his 19th of the year.
After a five-run second and three-run fifth allowed the Thunder to build a big lead, it was a 9-1 game going into the ninth when the Spikes got cooking. Back-to-back walks started the frame, and Tyson Bass’s two-run single allowed a glimmer of hope to slip through the night.
Cade Climie’s Texas Leaguer to center field then brought Bass home all the way from first, and Brylan West followed with a single to center to put runners at the corners before Robert Hipwell’s sinking liner to center found the green to bring in Climie.
However, with the tying run on deck, Trenton closer Brenton Fisher struck out A.J. Salgado to end the game.
Trenton’s Britton Beason hit his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to left field, in the fifth.
Spikes starter Dayne Pengelly (1-1) took the loss after yielding five runs on five hits and three walks while striking out one batter over four innings. Trenton reliever Cortland Clarke (1-0) followed Langhorne on the mound and got credit for the win with a scoreless fifth.
The Spikes now return home to the new-look Medlar Field at Lubrano Park to start a stretch of 12 home games out of the last 14 contests of the MLB Draft League’s first-half schedule. The homestand starts with the opener of a three-game series against the West Virginia Black Bears on Friday night, with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. Left-hander Jacob Kroeger (1-0) gets the ball for the Spikes against West Virginia right-hander Ryan Spalliero (0-0).
Highlights of the upcoming weekend to begin the bevy of home games include BuccoMania Night, featuring the Pirate Parrot, the Pittsburgh Pierogies and the Bucco Brigade as part of the Spikes’ MLB Community Ally Program partnership with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, June 29, along with FIREWORKS presented by Penn Highlands Healthcare and Penn Highlands Healthcare Cancer Survivors Night on the same evening, as well at Fitness Friday to begin the series, a Sunday Funday to finish it, and much, much more.
Fans can also look forward to the traditional Independence Eve FIREWORKS presented by the PA Lottery on Wednesday, July 3, along with Military Appreciation Night presented by Lion Country Kia featuring a Spikes Patriotic Hat Giveaway for the first 500 fans.
Plus, the Spikes are celebrating our nation’s birthday in the cutest way possible with the Great American Baby Races at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park! During the July 3 Independence Eve home game against the Williamsport Crosscutters and the Central PA 4th Fest at the ballpark on July 4, babies and toddlers from across Happy Valley will be revving up to crawl on the field.
Parents can enter their babies for the Great American Baby Races using the form available at StateCollegeSpikes.com. Both the champion of the July 3 races and the champion of the July 4 races will receive Ultimate Great American Baby Races Prize Packs, with a Greatest of the Great American Baby Races Prize Pack available for the grand champion.
Plus, the Great American Baby Races Ticket Package is available with a great deal for parents on July 3 and July 4. For $70, this package includes the following:
- Two (2) Diamond Club seats to the July 3 home game
- Two (2) Spikes VIP tickets to the Central PA 4th Fest
- VIP Parking for both events in the Porter North lot
Tickets for babies are not part of the package since children aged 2 and under do not need a ticket to enter Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
For tickets to all of the home games during the stretch from June 28 to July 13, as well as every remaining home game on the Spikes’ 2024 schedule at the new-look Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, 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 Friday 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 at approximately 6:05 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.
