Oates hurls gem as Spikes blank Thunder

BOX SCORE/PLAY-BY-PLAY (via PitchAware)

TRENTON, N.J. – Dalton Oates threw six scoreless innings for the State College Spikes, and Blake Seigler finished off the shutout with another goose egg as the Spikes defeated the Trenton Thunder, 2-0, on Tuesday night at Trenton Thunder Ballpark.

Oates (3-0) earned his third victory in as many Major League Baseball Draft League starts after scattering five hits and striking out five batters. The Shippensburg product encountered first-and-second, one-out jams in the fifth and sixth, but got out of them with no damage each time. Oates’s win was his second in a row over the first-place Thunder (27-15-6) after a victory at home last Wednesday.

Seigler (3) hit one batter but allowed no other baserunners in a scoreless seventh for the save. The University of South Carolina-Aiken product recorded one strikeout in the effort.

State College (23-29-2) plated its first run in the second inning. Marques Paige started the surge with a one-out double. After Darryl Loyd III walked, the two took off on a double steal, with an errant throw from the catcher to second plating Paige.

The Spikes upped the lead in the fifth when Harrison Engstrom led off with a double then advanced to third on a flyout and scored on a wild pitch. Engstrom, who was playing his fourth game with State College out of Lynn University in Florida, was the lone Spike to collect multiple hits on Tuesday.

Thunder starter Jake Mulholland (0-1), who held the Spikes to just one walk while striking out seven batters last Wednesday, was stellar again. The Oregon State southpaw struck out eight batters over four innings this time out, but was charged with the loss after allowing one unearned run.

The game was shortened to seven innings per an MLB Draft League decision in the interests of player safety that Tuesday and Wednesday games would be seven innings in length.

It was also the Thunder's first MLB Draft League game at Trenton Thunder Ballpark after the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons completed their temporary residency in Trenton. The Bisons had assumed the Thunder identity while the Toronto Blue Jays were playing in Buffalo, but all teams have now returned to their nominal homes.

Wednesday, the Spikes and Thunder meet in the middle game of their three-game series. The 6:00 p.m. matchup is scheduled for seven innings.

Following the road trip, the Spikes will return home to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Friday, August 6 for a three-game set against the Williamsport Crosscutters that starts the final five home games of the 2021 schedule.

Spikes fans will have the chance to carry the spirit of a historic, record-breaking Fourth of July forward with two of the three remaining editions of FIREWORKS From the Field as part of the series, and a $4 ticket discount to all remaining Spikes home games with a Fourth of July ticket.

All fans are invited to come down onto the field for an unprecedented view of the three remaining newly enhanced and lengthened FIREWORKS shows from the Spikes and their official FIREWORKS provider, Starfire Corporation. The fun includes displays on Friday, August 6, presented by The Meadows, and Saturday, August 7, presented by College Township.

In addition, the Spikes will honor the late, great Bob the Baseball Dog with a Celebration of Life as part of Bark in the Park at the ballpark on Sunday, August 8.

More highlights include Scout Night and Penns Valley Community Night on August 6, the first-ever College Township Night on August 7, FREE Kids Zone! nights presented by Friends of Jake Corman at both of those games, and and Paint the Park Purple, presented by Juniper Village at Brookline, to raise funds and awareness in the battle against Alzheimer’s disease on August 8.

Additionally, fans who were part of the historic, record crowd of 7,183 on July 4 can relive that spirit with a $4 ticket discount for all ten remaining home games. The $4 discount, which excludes seats in the Geisinger Champions Club and Pepsi Picnic Pavilion, can be claimed by presenting a digital or printed ticket from the Spikes’ Fourth of July game at the Spikes Ticket Office.

Tickets for all three games coming up from August 6-8, all three remaining FIREWORKS From the Field dates, and all five games remaining on the 2021 home schedule are currently on sale through the Spikes Ticket Office. Tickets can be purchased by calling (814) 272-1711 or by visiting the Ticket Office in person from 9 a.m. to the end of the game on gamedays Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to the end of the game on gamedays Saturday and Sunday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on non-gamedays Monday through Friday.

Fans can also buy and download single-game tickets by visiting StateCollegeSpikes.com.

Catch all of the action on Friday via the Spikes Radio Network, presented by Penn State Sports Medicine, Official Healthcare Provider of Penn State Athletics, starting with Spikes Live, presented by Mount Nittany Health, on the air from Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The game can be viewed worldwide on the *MLB Draft League *streaming platform at MLBDraftLeague.com/streaming, along with the “Listen Live” link on StateCollegeSpikes.com and the *TuneIn Radio *app.