Solid first inning powers State College Spikes past Mahoning Valley Scrappers
The State College Spikes started off hot Sunday and then cruised to a 5-1 victory over the Mahoning Valley Scrappers at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
The Spikes opened with a three-run first inning — thanks to a bases-clearing triple by Evan Mendzoa (2 RBIs) and an RBI groundout by Ricardo Bautista — and then led the rest of the way. They held a 5-1 advantage after three innings and faced only 17 batters in the final five frames.
Mendoza and Dennis Ortega both paced the home team with two hits apiece.
With the win, the Spikes improve to 18-14 while the Scappers fall to 20-13.
Players of the game
Spikes’ pitching staff (Paul Balestrieri and Levi MaVorhis): Balestrieri picked up his first win of the season after working 5 2/3 innings while scattering seven hits and allowing just one run (unearned). MaVorhis was nearly perfect down the stretch, as he allowed just one hit and struck out three. The pitching pair was especially strong Sunday, and the game was never really in doubt after the third inning.
Turning point
Double play in third inning: Sure, the Spikes’ 3-0 first inning was clearly important. But, outside of the obvious, State College’s defense in the third frame proved to be invaluable. Mahoning Valley led off the inning with back-to-back singles, and it looked as if the Spikes 4-1 advantage could’ve been in jeopardy. But, thanks to a key 6-4-3 double play on the next batter, that threat was eliminated. The next Scrapper then flied out to end the inning.
Up next
Mahoning Valley at State College, 7:05 p.m. Monday: State College’s Daniel Castano (6-0, 2.03 ERA) is looking to keep his impressive season going. He was the first New York-Penn League pitcher to reach six wins and, heading into Sunday’s game, he led the league in strikeouts (43) and was sixth in the league in ERA (min: 25 innings pitched). The Scrappers’ pitcher is to be determined.
This story was originally published July 23, 2017 at 11:05 PM with the headline "Solid first inning powers State College Spikes past Mahoning Valley Scrappers."