WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. – The State College Spikes pitching staff posted 17 strikeouts, led by starter Chris Shull’s nine whiffs, and limited the Williamsport Crosscutters to just four hits in a 6-1 win on Friday night at Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field.
With the win, the Spikes (18-14 2nd Half) kept pace with the Trenton Thunder in the race for the Major League Baseball Draft League second-half title. State College remains two games behind the first-place Thunder, who defeated Mahoning Valley, 7-5, on Friday, with 11 games remaining on the 2024 schedule for both teams.
Shull (1-1) posted his best outing as a Spike to lead the superb pitching effort. The right-hander spread his nine strikeouts over five innings of work while allowing the Crosscutters’ (7-23 2nd Half) lone run on three hits and four walks.
Phillip Bryant then added four strikeouts over two scoreless innings, while Brayden Collett and Jackie Robinson posted two apiece in each of their shutout frames.
The Spikes’ 17 strikeouts tied for the second-most in a single nine-inning game in franchise history. State College collected 18 strikeouts as a team on July 3, 2019 against the Batavia Muckdogs, and nearly matched that with 17 in their June 6, 2023 game against the Trenton Thunder.
State College also tied West Virginia’s 17-strikeout effort against the Spikes on June 15 for the most whiffs in a single MLB Draft League game this season.
Manny Jackson helped lead the offensive charge to bolster the Spikes’ arms by reaching base four times. Jackson went 3-for-3 with a walk, a double, a run and three RBI’s on the night.
Williamsport starter Emmett Bice (1-3) took the loss after yielding five runs on eight hits and a walk over five innings. Bice recorded four strikeouts in the effort.
The Spikes and Crosscutters now shift locations for the second game of their three-game series as they to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for a 6:35 p.m. tilt on Saturday. State College will send right-hander Jacob Peaden (3-1), a former Crosscutter, to the mound to face Williamsport right-hander Mike Hansell (0-3),
Fans will be delighted as a spectacular FIREWORKS show lights up the skies over Happy Valley after the game.
Plus, the first 1,000 fans of all ages will receive a Joe Crispin Bobblehead Giveaway presented by Penn State Health, honoring the fourth-leading scorer in Penn State men’s basketball history with 1,986 and a leader of the 2001 Sweet Sixteen squad who took the 2001 National Three-Point Championship crown.
Crispin, who returned to Happy Valley to serve on Head Coach Mike Rhoades’s staff in 2023, will also be on hand to make a special appearance at the ballpark where he will meet and greet fans, throw out the ceremonial first pitch, sign autographs during the game, and be part of more of the ballpark fun during the night.
Gates for Saturday’s game open at 5:30 p.m., with early entrance at 5:20 p.m. for Spikes Season Ticket members and 5:25 p.m. for group ticket holders.
It’s also Coaches vs. Cancer of Penn State Night presented by Diversified Asset Planners as fans can find out how to help raise funds and awareness for the fight against cancer with CVC. Coaches vs. Cancer of Penn State will also be the beneficiary of the night's Spikes 50/50 Drawing.
More activities on a Super Saturday presented by the PA Lottery and Pop 93.3 include Mifflin & Juniata County Night presented by The Sentinel, Kids Run the Bases after the game presented by Mount Nittany Health, and the post-game Jackpot Pitching Challenge, where one lucky fan will have two chances to a win a Spikes Grand Prize Jackpot that keeps on growing each time it goes unclaimed.
To purchase tickets to Saturday’s game, and all five remaining home games on the Spikes’ 2024 schedule at the new-look Medlar Field at Lubrano Park through September 3, fans can call 814-272-1711 or visit 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 Saturday 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 6:35 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.
