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MLBDL State College Spikes

LSU Product Ulloa Aces Out Agassi as Spikes Net Best-Ever Home Mark with 2-1 Win Over Scrappers

July 9, 2024 - Major League Baseball Draft League (MLBDL)
State College Spikes News Release


UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The State College Spikes improved to their best start to a home schedule In franchise history as Fidel Ulloa outpointed the Mahoning Valley Scrappers' Jaden Agassi with six scoreless innings in a battle of Major League Baseball Draft League aces as the Spikes took a 2-1 decision on Tuesday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

The win ran the Spikes' 2024 home record to 11-2, which is the best home start after 13 games since the franchise opened Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in 2006. Tuesday's win was also the Spikes' third in a row, their fourth different win streak of three or more this season.

Ulloa (2-0), a product of LSU with one year of college eligibility remaining, made his most outstanding start of a truly brilliant season as he ran his scoreless string to 15 innings. The right-hander from Lodi, Calif. allowed just two hits, a second-inning single by John Schroeder and a sixth inning double by Tripp Clark, while striking out eight batters. The octet of strikeouts tied Ulloa for the second-most in a single game this season.

Agassi (1-1), the son of Tennis Hall of Famers Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, continued his sterling form as well. The right-hander from Las Vegas served up just two runs, both in the fourth inning, on five hits and three walks over five innings. Agassi also struck out five batters.

Observers of the MLB Draft League's weekly awards knew an outstanding pitching matchup was in the offing, as Agassi and Ulloa came into Tuesday's game as the league's last two Pitcher of the Week award recipients.

With his performance on Tuesday, Ulloa improved his strikeout-to-walk ratio to 19-to-3, giving him 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings while allowing just 2.4 hits and 1.8 walks per nine innings.

State College (17-14) broke through in the fourth as Brock Wills and Knox Preston produced back-to-back one-out singles, with Wills advancing to third. After Hayden Moore drove in Wills with a sacrifice fly to left, Tyson Bass singled Preston to second before Cam Bufford knocked him in with a single to center field.

Mahoning Valley (13-17) threatened when a wild pitch scored Max Johnson in the third, but Jaren Warwick came back with a strikeout of Beau Ankeney to end the inning, and Blake Purnell (5) allowed just one walk in the ninth inning as he notched his league-leading fifth save.

The red-hot Spikes host the Scrappers for the middle game of their three-game series on Wednesday night at 6:35 p.m. Left-hander Jamie Hitt (0-1) of Oklahoma gets the start on the hill for State College, while Mahoning Valley will go with right-hander Hunter Dryden (2-2), who tossed six scoreless innings against the Spikes back on June 13.

It's a Glizzy and Wine Wednesday at the ballpark, presented by Seven Mountains Wine Cellars and WOWY Radio, with half-price Country Store Brand hot dogs available at half-price all night long and half-price Seven Mountains Wine Cellars wine from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., as well as half-price Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy drafts from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

More great promos dot the rest of the week, including the first $1 Beer Night of the year at Thirsty Thursdayand Star Wars Night on Saturday featuring the Spikes wearing Baby Yoda Jerseys that will go up for bids on the LiveSource app in a Jersey-off-the-Back Auction presented by PSECU to benefit Children's Miracle Network.

For tickets to all four home games during the final stretch of the first half of the MLB Draft League season through July 13, as well as every remaining home game on the Spikes' 2024 schedule at the new-look Medlar Field at Lubrano Park through September 3, 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 Wednesday 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.o

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