UNIVERSITY PARK — Relievers Stetson Allie and Robbie Kilcrease bring contrasting baseball backgrounds to the State College Spikes.
The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted Allie in the second round of last year’s draft. He agreed to a $2.25 million bonus shortly before the 2010 signing deadline.
Nobody drafted Kilcrease. He received few guarantees beyond a plane ticket to Bradenton, Fla., where he started his professional career in the rookie Gulf Coast League.
None of those facts mattered during the eighth and ninth innings of Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to Jamestown. Allie and Kilcrease both accomplished the same task, pitching scoreless innings to hold the deficit at two runs.
“I felt good,” Allie said. “I feel like I’m making some progress. I’m just sticking it. I wish we could have gotten the win. But I did my job and hopefully I will come back soon.”
Allie’s outing lasted just 10 pitches. The Pirates envisioned longer outings when the summer started. But moving to the bullpen has rejuvenated Allie, whose short-term goal involves throwing more strikes, not hitting gaudy numbers on the radar gun like he did earlier this summer.
Allie struck out Kentrell Dewitt with a low fastball, issued a four-pitch walk and induced an inning-ending double play, one of three the Spikes turned. The right-hander worked from the stretch during the entire inning.
After failing to record an out July 28 at Tri-City, Allie has made five straight relief appearances. He has allowed two earned runs in 4 2/3 innings since the disastrous start. More importantly,
Allie said he’s beginning to resemble the pitcher who dazzled scouts with a dominating senior year at St. Edward (Ohio) High School.
“I went back to my old high school days,” he said. “I’m having fun. It’s knowing I only have one inning and it’s about having fun with it and trying to throw strikes.”
Allie, 20, said he “loves” making relief appearances. The Pirates will examine the end of this season and the fall instructional league before making determining his 2012 role.
“He has that reliever mentality,” Spikes manager Kimera Bartee said. “When I played a lot of guys went up through the minor leagues as starters to log innings and they eventually had a relief role when they reached the major leagues. He has a bulldog mentality. He’s still a baby and we will see what he matures into.”
No intense debate exists regarding Kilcrease’s role. For now, he pitches in relief, a job, like Allie, he eagerly embraces.
Kilcrease had rotator cuff surgery in 2009 and logged 63 1/3 innings this past spring at Texas Tech.
The left-hander pitched before oodles of scouts yet went undrafted during this past June’s 50-round draft.
Kilcrease, 22, stayed positive. He understood how professional baseball worked and figured he would receive a call from an organization needing mature arms.
Pirates area scout Mike Leuzinger called Kilcrease one week after the draft’s conclusion. The organization had an open spot on their rookie Gulf Coast League team. Kilcrease blew through the GCL and landed in State College on Aug. 8.
“I was just happy to be part of the Pirates organization,” he said. “I wanted to do my job and do the best I could.”
Bartee Kilcrease’s work after Tuesday’s game. The Jammers loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth, but Kilcrease induced a fly out to keep the game within the Spikes’ reach. Kilcrease has allowed one hit and two walks in 5 1/3 scoreless innings.
“He has been a guy we can lean on,” Bartee said. “He has added some length to our bullpen. He has come in during some clean innings and he has come in during some not clean innings and done the job. It’s a testament to our scouting department to pick up somebody like that.”
The tying run entered the batter’s box after Derek Trent’s two-out single in the bottom of the ninth. The game had a fiery conclusion as home plate umpire Luke Engen ejected Spikes pitching coach Justin Meccage for arguing a strike call with Carlos Mesa pinch-hitting for Walker Gourley. Jamestown closer Alfredo Buret earned his 10th save by striking out Mesa two pitches later.
Meccage’s outburst came during a lethargic game. The Spikes (24-39) had seven hits and scored their only runs after Kirk Singer and Rodarrick Jones doubled to begin the bottom of the seventh. No other Spike touched second base against Matthew Neil, Brad Mincey and Buret.
Austin Barnes and Brian McConkey both had three hits for the Jammers (31- 32). The duo helped Jamestown score twice off Trent Stevenson in the first.
“The energy wasn’t there,” Bartee said. “Maybe they thought a team was going to come into our park, lay down and play a Tiddlywink game. But they didn’t. They jumped on us early. We couldn’t recover.”
