Doomed by errors, State College Spikes drop Game 1 in series with Crosscutters
Errors on errors.
The State College Spikes (17-22) took a 10-3 loss against the Williamsport Crosscutters (17-19) after a tough eighth inning.
State College’s Kevin Karstetter singled in the second inning, scoring Lukas Cook, to give the Spikes a 1-0 lead. Spikes starting pitcher Jason Alvarez carried that lead into the fourth, throwing four scoreless and hitless innings in his outing, gifting State College’s bullpen with a flawless performance.
It was Alvarez’s first outing on the mound after getting the call during the season break.
“I had a fun time, I’m excited to be here first of all and I wasn’t feeling too good, but my mindset was that ‘I’ve got to compete for the team,’” Alvarez said. “That’s all that matters. It isn’t practice anymore and it’s game time, so you’ve got to compete.”
Things were looking up for the Spikes before three errors were committed in the fifth inning. Crosscutters center fielder Sean Ross and left fielder Noah Hemphill reached base on errors. Then Nitch doubled to score both Ross and Hemphill, advancing to third base on an error. He later scored on a wild pitch to give Williamsport a 3-1 lead.
Williamsport continued to tack on runs in the eighth inning.
Michael Turconi was walked by Spikes pitcher Jack Goonan and reached second base on an error by catcher Will Kahn. Turconi stole third base and Ross followed up with a walk. Ross stole second base and watched Turconi take home after a wild pitch by Goonan to give the Crosscutters a 4-1 lead.
Ross, Alec Burns, Hemphill and Nitch also scored on bases-loaded walks. With Ramon Bramasco scoring on an error and Lance Logsdon and Freddie Matos reaching base, Dakota Kotowski scored both players on a two-run double for a 10-1 lead.
Karstetter scored for the Spikes in the eighth inning on a single by Darryl Loyd. It was Loyd’s first hit and RBI with State College. Brady Brecklin drove in reserve catcher Max Guadalupe to cut the Crosscutters lead to 10-3.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Nitch capitalized with a double in the fifth inning to break open the game for the Crosscutters. While each of the runs were unearned for Spikes reliever Drew Garrett, Nitch notched an RBI. Nitch had his second RBI in the eighth inning after being walked by Goonan with the bases loaded, ending his day going 1-for-4 with three RBIs.
Teaching the New Guys
Karstetter, a State College native, has been a mainstay of the Spikes’ inaugural MLB Draft League team this year. His presence has been ever-steady and his goal has been to help bring other players along to keep up the morale of the team.
“It helps to show the new guys the ropes and just the routine around here,” Karstetter said. “It helps knowing the park and you already know what you’re doing, but for me it’s just finding a solid routine, sticking to that and having a good mindset in the games. I think that’s helped me. It’s ups and downs.”
UP NEXT
The Spikes will continue their two-game series with the Crosscutters at Medlar Field on Sunday. First pitch is at 4:05 p.m. Sunday’s game will be Philipsburg Community Day, featuring a free Kids Zone throughout the game.
