State College Spikes doomed by 3rd inning errors in loss to Mahoning Valley to start series

Despite right fielder Hylan Hall’s two-run and two-hit game, the State College Spikes (10-13) faltered early and never recovered in an 8-2 loss to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers (15-8) Tuesday night.

Spikes’ pitcher Connor Oliver earned his first start of the season and heated up early with two scoreless innings and three strikeouts. However, things fell apart in the third when Oliver watched five Scrapper runs cross home plate in a six-hit frame, beginning a constant rotation of bullpen pitchers.

“I thought [Oliver] was good,” said Spikes’ manager Delwyn Young. “The pitchers are still doing their job, it’s just that one inning, regardless of the pitcher, that you have to figure out how to get out of.”

The rest of the game was more of the same. The Spikes were able to earn two extra runs in the final six innings, but the Scrappers added another three in the same amount of time to finish off the opening game of the three-game series.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

RF Hylan Hall: Despite entering the game with just a .226 batting average, Hall scored his ninth and 10th runs of the year early on an impressive two-for-four day from the plate.

He was the lone star for an otherwise quiet State College team, and was the only Spike to end the game with multiple hits, with four of his teammates unable to record one.

“This is my second week here,” Hall said. “Now I’m seeing the ball better, I’m doing what I need to do… I’m just going to continue to be on time [with my swing] and just electrify my team.”

ERRORS AND INCONSISTENCY

State College ended the game with two errors, a complete reversal of its error-free 5-4 win over Williamsport in front of a large 3,639-person Father’s Day crowd on Sunday.

Errors in both the third and sixth innings led to both extra hits and bases for the Scrappers’ offense. On top of that, the eighth Mahoning Valley run of the game was scored by a dropped ball by Spikes’ catcher Mathew Ellis on a throw that was otherwise in time for an out.

UP NEXT

The Spikes will continue the series and hope to rebound with two more games against the Scrappers at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.

Wednesday is free nurse’s day at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, as all nurses will receive free admission with a presented Nurse ID badge, and Thursday is bark in the park, with the Spikes inviting fans’ dogs to the final game of the series.

This story was originally published June 22, 2021 at 10:16 PM.