MLBDL State College Spikes

Spikes Take 7-3 Win over Scrappers to Finish Pre-Draft Portion of Season

Published on July 8, 2021 under Major League Baseball Draft League (MLBDL)
State College Spikes News Release


NILES, Ohio - In their last game before a break for the Major League Baseball Draft, the State College Spikes used collaborative efforts on offense and defense to build a large lead and hold the Mahoning Valley Scrappers hitless until the seventh inning, earning a 7-3 victory on Thursday night at Eastwood Field.

Starter Griffin Miller was the only Spikes (16-21) pitcher to go more than one inning on the mound as he tossed two frames. Miller was followed by Drew Garrett (1-0), who walked three batters but struck out two in his lone inning of work to pick up credit for the win.

Beau Balado, Josh Culliver and Spencer Koelewyn each fired one hitless inning until Jarrod Belbin singled off Christian Wall in the seventh to break up the prospective no-no in the seventh.

Kiernan Higgins struck out the side in a two-hit eighth inning before Andrew Moore, whose 98 mile-per-hour fastball was the fastest recorded in the MLB Draft League prior to Thursday, finished with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

State College built its lead beginning with a three-run fourth. Curtis Washington Jr. was the catalyst once again, leading off with a walk before stealing second and third, followed by a wild pitch to bring him home. Marques Paige landed the biggest hit of the inning with a two-out, two-run single.

In the seventh, the Spikes piled on with four more runs. Washington, Kenny Piper and Damiano Palmegiani each struck RBI singles before Lukas Cook finished the State College scoring with a sacrifice fly to center.

Mark Vierling provided the lone multi-hit game for State College. The Spikes' running game also thrived, as they finished 4-for-5 as a team in stolen base attempts on the night.

All three Mahoning Valley (19-17) runs came courtesy of Zaid Walker's home run off Wall in the seventh, his second of the season.

Drake Batcho (0-1) took the loss for the Scrappers after yielding the Spikes' first three runs on two hits and three walks in two-thirds of an inning.

Spikes players will now go their separate ways as they prepare to hear their names called at the MLB Draft, which will take place starting on Sunday, July 11 as part of MLB All-Star Week in Denver. The MLB Draft League will take a six-day break for the draft, and restart its inaugural season on Thursday, July 15.

The Spikes will return home for their first post-MLB Draft home game on Saturday, July 17, when they take on the Williamsport Crosscutters at 6:35 p.m. Fans can join with the Spikes to fight breast cancer on Paint the Park Pink Night, presented by Mount Nittany Health. The festivities include a Spikes Pink Mask Giveaway presented by Mount Nittany Health for the first 250 fans, with additional masks for sale to benefit the Mount Nittany Health Foundation.

Plus, the skies will light up after the game with the first of six more FIREWORKS shows on the 2021 home slate.

Tickets for every remaining home game on the Spikes' 2021 home schedule are currently on sale through the Spikes Ticket Office. Tickets can be purchased by calling (814) 272-1711 or by visiting the Ticket Office in person from 9 a.m. to the end of the game on gamedays Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to the end of the game on gamedays Saturday and Sunday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on non-gamedays Monday through Friday.

Fans can also buy and download single-game tickets by visiting StateCollegeSpikes.com.

Catch all of the action on July 17 via the Spikes Radio Network, presented by Penn State Sports Medicine, Official Healthcare Provider of Penn State Athletics, starting with Spikes Live, presented by Mount Nittany Health, on the air from Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The game can be viewed worldwide on the MLB Draft League streaming platform at MLBDraftLeague.com/streaming, along with the "Listen Live" link on StateCollegeSpikes.com and the TuneIn Radio app.

Check out the State College Spikes Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Major League Baseball Draft League Stories from July 8, 2021


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central