Small ball gives Spikes huge lift

Guy Cipriano

UNIVERSTIY PARK — The Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies played three competitive and spirited games earlier this week.

For the CDT/Eric Smith

State College’s Elevys Gonzalez takes a swing against Williamsport starter Siulman Lebron on Friday. Hits were at a premium for both teams as the Spikes turned to small ball to nip the Crosscutters 5-2.

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Their New York-Penn League affiliates could be headed toward a similar series.

After a 52-day break extended by a 1-hour, 35-minute rain delay, the SawBuck Series sabbatical ended with the State College Spikes defeating the Williamsport Crosscutters 5-2 Friday at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

Besides homers, the game featured many of the compelling elements displayed at PNC Park, beginning with strong starting pitching.

State College’s Kyle McPherson and Williamsport’s Siulman Lebron combined to toss 132/ 3 innings.

Neither pitcher allowed a run until the Spikes scored twice in the bottom of the sixth. The Spikes then scored the decisive run on Aaron Baker’s sacrifice fly in the eighth. Baker was batting for a winning instead of an insurance run because the Crosscutters scored twice off Mike Williams during the top of the eighth. The Spikes scored twice more in the eighth, including two insurance runs on Justin Byler and Pat Irvine’s two-out singles to left field.

“It’s a big win,” catcher Craig Parry said. “We were stuck at zero for a long time. We were fortunate enough to get a few runners on in the bottom of that inning.”

The Spikes (34-33) finished with eight hits, but Lebron didn’t allow a baserunner in five separate innings, including every one from the second to fifth.

It took a hit that didn’t leave the infield for the Spikes to shake Lebron. The bottom of the sixth resembled the previous four innings as Lebron struck out Parry looking for his 15th straight out. The following tactic was no secret as Williamsport third baseman Anthony Hewitt crept past the infield dirt. But Kyle Saukko dropped a drag bunt anyway. The ball skirted on the wet grass, and Hewitt’s hurried throw sailed into right-field foul territory.

“My coaches said let’s try it, so I tried it to get something started,” Saukko said. “It was that little spark plug.”

Saukko received a single, advanced to second on the error and scored on Brock Holt’s single under Lebron’s legs. Holt then scored on Baker’s triple to right-center.

Subtle, yet significant, plays win games such as Friday’s, and Saukko’s deft touch benefited the Spikes again in the eighth. Parry singled to begin the inning before moving to second on Saukko’s sacrifice bunt. Parry scored the game-winning run when Baker flew out to center fielder Leandro Castro.

“Small ball works a lot,” Saukko said. “If you can do it right, it can win you some ballgames, especially close games like that.”

McPherson’s ability to locate inside fastballs, some as hard as 93 mph, mixed with changeups, many below 80 mph, fooled one of the NY-PL’s most aggressive teams.

McPherson allowed three singles and one walk in six scoreless innings. He struck out eight, including two in the first and third innings to foreshadow later success.

“He got strikeouts with his fastball, but he used his changeup to keep them off his fastball,” manager Gary Robinson said. “He used it just right. He sped the hitters up and then slowed it down and then sped them up. He did a great job.”

The right-hander faced his lone precarious position in the fourth, an inning that started with Adam Buschini walking and Castro tapping an infield single that a sliding McPherson attempted to field. Sebastian Valle’s groundout advanced the runners to second and third, but McPherson ended an eight-pitch duel by striking out Darin Ruf with a changeup before coaxing Hewitt into an inning-ending fly out. Hewitt meekly hit a changeup to Baker near first base.

“The changeup was a devastating pitch,” McPherson said. “They are a very aggressive team and that made the fastball that much more beneficial.”

The outing extended a strong streak. McPherson, who started this year at full-season West Virginia, has lasted six innings in his past five starts. McPherson’s previous start was a no-run, seven-strikeout performance against Brooklyn on Aug. 21.

“I feel like it’s great to get to the end of the year and stay strong,” said McPherson, who has thrown 1191/3 innings between State College and West Virginia. “Everybody wants to end their season on a high note. I hope to do that. I’m working to do that.”

The Spikes and Crosscutters will be seeing each other frequently during the season’s waning stages. The teams meet five more times, including at 1 p.m. today, a time changed because of tonight’s Taylor Swift concert at the Bryce Jordan Center.

If Swift crooned about the SawBuck series, close games would make for a catchy chorus. The Spikes hold a 22-21 edge in the all-time series, including a 4-3 advantage this season. Friday’s meeting was the teams’ first since playing six times in the first 18 games.

“They had a couple of new guys in their lineup,” Parry said. “But the majority of their lineup we have faced before. I knew what to give McPherson and McPherson knew how to attack them as well. We had a good game plan going in, and we executed it well.”