UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Luke House threw six quality innings, Harrison Didawick homered, and Dylan Lapointe delivered a key two-out, two-run single to give the State College Spikes a lead they would not relinquish as they captured the MLB Draft League first half title with an 8-3 win over the Williamsport Crosscutters on Saturday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
With their win and Mahoning Valley’s 18-7 victory over West Virginia, the Spikes (17-12) clinched the hosting berth in the MLB Draft League Championship Game, and will face the second half champion on Thursday, September 4 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for the league’s 2025 crown. Details on the MLB Draft League Championship Game, including ticket information and promotions, will be released in the coming days.
House (3-0) had walked just three batters over his first 15 1/3 innings with the Spikes before walking three, along with allowing three runs, over the first three innings. However, the righty from Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) rebounded to retire the last 10 batters in order, notching six of his nine strikeouts in that span.
Didawick, who had homered at Citi Field in New York to help give the MLB Draft League a 10-6 win over the Cape Cod League in an exhibition game on June 30, got the State College offense going with a 366-foot solo shot to lead off the bottom of the fourth. The homer, which left the yard at 101 miles per hour, was the Spikes’ first at home in the 2025 season.
After an error brought home Javon Hernandez later on in the fourth to cut the deficit to 3-2, Lapointe came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs as a pinch-hitter in the fifth and promptly smacked a line drive to center field to score two runs and put the Spikes in front for the first time, 4-3.
The clutch hit kickstarted a big inning, as Quinn Bentley followed with an RBI single one batter later and Cole Pladson brought in two-more runs with a line drive to left field that capped a five-run frame.
Matt Evans bolstered the lead with a run-scoring groundout in the eighth, while Spikes reliever Carter Holjesand Dillon Fischer each provided a scoreless inning on the mound before Ethan Storm closed out the game, eliciting a groundball from Hayden Christiansen to end the game.
Former Spike Sam Swygert (0-1) took the loss for the Crosscutters (12-18).
The Spikes are now poised to host their first-ever MLB Draft League postseason game after hosting games in six different New York-Penn League postseason series, including victories in the 2014 and 2016 NYPL Championship Series, with the 2016 title won at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
The MLB Draft League will now pause for three days as the MLB Draft takes place in Atlanta on Sunday and Monday. State College will resume the season on Wednesday with a second half-opening three-game series against the West Virginia Black Bears. All three contests will start at 6:35 p.m. at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park
The fun begins on Glizzy and Wine Wednesday presented by Seven Mountains Wine Cellars and WOWY Radio, with half-price hot dogs available throughout the game and half-price Seven Mountains Wine Cellars 5 oz. wine glasses and half-price Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy drafts available from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Plus, members of the Happy Valley Hoopers, the Penn State Men’s Basketball alumni squad competing in The Basketball Tournament starting next weekend, will be on hand to meet and greet fans and sign autographs at Wednesday’s second half opener.
After a Thirsty Thursday presented by The BUS with $2 12-oz. drafts available from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., the series concludes with FIREWORKS presented by Penn State Health after the festivities of Star Wars Night on Friday.
Tickets to the second half-opening series from Wednesday through Friday, as well as every game remaining on the Spikes’ 2025 regular season home schedule are available by calling 814-271-1711 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, and view the 2025 promotional schedule, by visiting StateCollegeSpikes.com.
Catch all of the action of the Spikes’ game against the Black Bears on Wednesday 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 Medlar Field at Lubrano Park starting at approximately 6:05 p.m.
Audio streaming of every Spikes game, home and away, is available on StateCollegeSpikes.com and the TuneIn Radio app.
