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MLBDL State College Spikes

Spikes' Late Rally Not Enough in 5-2 Loss to Scrappers

July 19, 2024 - Major League Baseball Draft League (MLBDL)
State College Spikes News Release


NILES, Ohio - Trailing 4-0 entering the eighth inning, the State College Spikes recovered to bring the tying run to the plate in the ninth but ultimately fell to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, 5-2, on Friday night at Eastwood Field.

Austin Roccaforte manufactured the Spikes' (0-2 2nd Half) first run after reaching base on a single up the middle in the eighth inning, stealing second base, advancing to third on a wild pitch and scoring on a passed ball to make it a 4-1 game.

After Mahoning Valley (2-0 2nd Half) scored an additional run on catcher Matt Rivera's sacrifice fly to center in the eighth, Cam Bufford singled through the right side to start the ninth, then stole second base on Sungkyung Kim's second strikeout of the inning. Knox Preston then singled down the right-field line to bring in Bufford.

After Roccaforte singled Preston to third base, Cooper Hext came to the plate as the tying run. However, Rivera threw out Roccaforte on an attempted steal to end the game.

Roccaforte, who did not enter the game until the fifth inning, and Preston each posted multi-hit games.

Spikes starter Phillip Bryant (0-1) took the loss after allowing three runs, two of them earned, on six hits and one walk over four innings. Bryant struck out three batters in the effort.

Mahoning Valley reliever Cole Chimenti (1-0) retired all seven batters he faced, one via strikeout, from the fifth through seventh innings for the win.

Changyong Lee, who, along with Kim, came to the Scrappers from the KBO's Samsung Lions, hit his first home run for Mahoning Valley with a solo shot to left field in the second.

Saturday, the Spikes meet the Scrappers at 7:05 p.m. for the third game of their four-game set at Eastwood Field. Virginia Tech left-hander Jeremy Neff is scheduled to start for State College in his Spikes debut.

While the Spikes are away, fans can still enjoy plenty of fun at Medlar FIeld at Lubrano Park with their first-ever Movie Night this Saturday, July 20. Fans are invited to the ballpark for a special presentation of "Barbie" on the huge, brand-new ballpark videoboard with FREE admission.

The videoboard, a centerpiece of the upgrades at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, features 2,739 square feet of eye-popping high definition, and fans will be delighted to see the hugely popular film in the unique ballpark atmosphere with refreshments available for at various ballpark concessions stands. Ballpark gates open at 7 p.m., and showtime is at 8 p.m.

All parking for Movie Night is available in the Porter North lot. Parking for Movie Night will follow Penn State on-campus parking policies, with parking available for purchase on the ParkMobile app or at the kiosk in the Porter North lot for $1/hour.

The Spikes home schedule resumes on Tuesday, July 23 with a 6:35 p.m. matchup against the Frederick Keys on a Walking Taco Tuesday presented by Bigfoot Country Legends, featuring half-price Walking Tacos at the Salsa concession stand all game long, plus half-price Miller Lite and Coors Light from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

To purchase tickets to 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 Saturday 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 Eastwood Field at approximately 6:50 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.

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