State College Spikes split doubleheader with West Virginia
The State College Spikes split a doubleheader Wednesday evening with the West Virginia Black Bears, coming out with the 4-1 victory in Game 1 but falling 6-5 in Game 2.
The Spikes nearly finished with the sweep but, in the second contest, watched their 4-2 lead in the fifth quickly slip away. The Black Bears took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the frame after four singles, two steals, a passed ball and a throwing error on the catcher.
State College is now 23-19, while the Black Bears are 25-17.
Players of the games
Game 1: Spikes pitcher Andrew Summerville: The 2017 12th-round draft pick scattered just two hits over five innings and allowed no runs to give the bullpen a 2-0 lead with two frames left. He struck out four and walked four, while contributing to the Black Bears’ 0-for-6 mark with runners in scoring position.
Game 2: Black Bears third baseman Dylan Busby: Seven different West Virginia players combined for just eight hits, but Busby’s single proved to be critical. With two outs in the fifth inning, and trailing 4-3, he smacked a line drive to left field to score two runs and give the Black Bears the lead. They never trailed afterward.
Turning points
Game 1: Seventh inning: Take your pick, top or bottom. The Spikes scored two runs in the top of the inning on five singles to increase the lead to 4-0. But West Virginia nearly mounted a comeback in the final inning after newly acquired pitcher Jason Zgardowski went wild. He hit three batters and threw two wild pitches. But Spencer Trayner then came on in relief and was able to get two of the last three Black Bears out to end the 4-1 game.
Game 2: West Virginia prevents Spikes from capitalizing in 6th: State College trailed 5-4 at this point but was in decent position with one out and runners on second and third. However, Black Bears reliever Matt Seelinger then struck out back-to-back Spikes to end the inning and prevent any runs.
Roster moves
Signed: Right-handed pitcher Jason Zgardowski signed with the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday and pitched for the Spikes on Wednesday. The Texas native originally signed with Philadelphia in 2014 as an undrafted free agent; he most recently pitched for the River City Rascals of the Frontier League, where he had a 1.34 ERA over 34 appearances.
Received: Right-handed pitcher Alex Fagalde was received from the Rookie-level GCL Cardinals on Wednesday. He was a 30th-round draft choice out of UC-Riverside from earlier this year.
Up next
State College at West Virginia, 7:05 p.m. Thursday: The Spikes’ Paul Balestrieri (1-1, 4.56 ERA) will take on the Black Bears’ Ike Schlabach (3-3, 2.38 ERA) in the third game of what’s become a four-game series.
This story was originally published August 2, 2017 at 10:51 PM with the headline "State College Spikes split doubleheader with West Virginia."