State College Spikes drop a heartbreaker as the Williamsport Crosscutters sweep the series
The State College Spikes (17-24) came close to mounting a comeback after trailing by two in the bottom of the sixth. However, the baseball gods were just not with them, as the Spikes fell 5-4 to the Williamsport Crosscutters (18-19).
Spikes catcher Cy Kerber walked up to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded. He stared into the eyes of Williamsport pitcher Hunter Caudelle, as Caudelle appeared to step off the plate. However, the umpires didn’t call a balk. The Spikes pleaded for a review, but after conferencing together, the umpires determined the original call stood.
Finally, the umpire called Kerber out on a questionable strike-three pitch low in the zone to end the game, as the crowd at Medlar Field burst into boos.
The Spikes stranded 11 baserunners.
Dusty Stroup reached base in the top of the second for the Crosscutters after a strikeout on a wild pitch. After a Sean Ross single, Michael Turconi singled to score Stroup to give Williamsport an early 1-0 lead.
The Spikes struck back with Michael Slaten’s single to open up the bottom of the second. Lukas Cook immediately tripled to score Slaten and Kerber followed up with a double to plate Slaten for a 2-1 State College lead.
Sunday’s game swung back in the direction of the Crosscutters with Ross doubling to lead off the top of the fourth. Issac Nuñez put on the sacrifice squeeze to advance Ross to third base, followed by Turconi’s second single and RBI for a 2-2 tie.
State College grabbed one run back with Hylan Hall’s lead-off home run in the bottom of the fifth for a 3-2 lead.
“So, coming back to the Spikes (after the season break), I wanted to make an adjustment,” Hall said. “I worked over the break with the three days that we had. I made an adjustment and it felt good for my work to pay off.”
The scales tipped in favor of Williamsport once again — scoring three more runs in the top of the sixth. Stroup began a series of walks which culminated in a bases-loaded walk of Jaxon Shirley to tie at 3-3. Catcher Rob Marinec singled to score Ross and Nuñez to take a 5-3 game.
Kerber inched the Spikes closer with a walk, scoring on Cameron Lee’s single for the Spikes to trail 5-4.
Spikes starting pitcher Louis Davenport tossed 5.1 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits, walking three batters, while hitting two and striking out six batters. Crosscutters starting pitcher Troy Taylor went five innings, allowing three runs on seven hits, six strikeouts and one home run allowed.
Trae Robertson entered in relief for Davenport, tossing 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing two hits, while walking two and striking out four. The Missouri Tiger allowed his slider to do the talking for him, often being used as his put away pitch.
“The slider was working for me, the changeup was working at first, but I have to clean that up a little bit,” Robertson said. “I had all of my pitches for a good amount of the night and I was just filling up the zone and I came in, had to put up some zeroes to give us a chance to win.”
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Turconi went 2-for-3 with two hits, two RBI and a walk for the Crosscutters. His first run batted in came in the second inning against Davenport, then he doubled up against Davenport with another RBI single in the fourth inning to tie the game at 2-2.
STEALING THE NIGHT AWAY
The Spikes now have eclipsed a team record with 91 stolen bases in a season after Hall stole third in the ninth inning. Then, Slaten stole second base for the 92nd stolen base of the year.
“It’s amazing because that’s my play style,” Hall said of his steal. “[I’m] fast, being aggressive and so the fact that the whole team is like that is dangerous.”
UP NEXT
The Spikes are off on Monday before traveling to play a three-game series against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers beginning on Tuesday. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m.
