State College Spikes cruise past Tri-City ValleyCats
Sam Tewes threw seven solid innings and received plenty of run support as the State College Spikes rolled to a 10-4 win over the Tri-City ValleyCats on Wednesday night at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium.
Tewes allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings to earn the win, while the Spikes (12-10) scored three runs in the sixth inning and five in the eighth to cruise to the win.
Zach Kirtley finished 2 for 4 with a home run, and Scott Hurst hit a three-run triple to lead State College offensively against Tri-City (8-13). Brandon Benson also had a home run and scored two runs for the Spikes, who snapped a three-game losing streak.
The Spikes took a 5-2 lead in the sixth inning after Josh Lopez scored on a wild pitch and Benson crushed a two-run home run to left-center field. State College put the game out of the reach with five runs in the eighth, scoring two runs on bases-loaded walks before Hurst’s three-run triple.
Player of the game
Spikes second baseman Zach Kirtley: Kirtley’s solo home run in the fifth inning was the first of his professional career. He scored two runs and drove in two runs while putting together his third multi-hit game in his last four games.
Roster notes
Shew promoted: After four starts for the Spikes this season, right-handed pitcher Anthony Shew was promoted to Single-A Peoria on Wednesday. Shew went 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA for State College. Right-handed pitcher Robert Calvano replaced Shew on the Spikes’ roster Wednesday, earning a promotion from Rookie-level Johnson City. In six relief appearances with Johnson City, Calvano went 0-3 with a 5.23 ERA.
Next up
State College at Tri-City, 7 p.m. Thursday: Daniel Castano will be on the mound for the Spikes’ series finale against the ValleyCats. Castano (4-0, 1.24 ERA) went into Wednesday night’s games with the most wins and the second-lowest ERA in the New York-Penn League. He was also leading the league in innings pitched (29) and was tied for the league-lead in strikeouts (28). The left-hander has thrown seven innings once and eight innings twice this season. For Tri-City, left-hander Carlos Hiraldo (0-2, 11.12) will get the start.
This story was originally published July 12, 2017 at 10:22 PM with the headline "State College Spikes cruise past Tri-City ValleyCats."