Paige, Reller lead Spikes past Black Bears, 8-7
BOX SCORE PLAY-BY-PLAY UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Marques Paige drove in four runs, including two on his first home run since returning to the State College Spikes, and Brock Reller knocked in two more runs as he finished just a homer shy of the cycle in the Spikes’ 8-7 win
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Marques Paige drove in four runs, including two on his first home run since returning to the State College Spikes, and Brock Reller knocked in two more runs as he finished just a homer shy of the cycle in the Spikes’ 8-7 win over the West Virginia Black Bears on Wednesday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Paige, who led the Spikes (10-8 2nd half) with six homers in the 2021 MLB Draft League season, took a 2-1 pitch from West Virginia (11-7 2nd half) starter Luke Eldred 421 feet over the Nook in left-center field in the third inning to bring State College to within 5-4.
The Las Vegas native then followed by tying the game at 6-6 in the fourth with a double to right field, erasing what had been a 5-0 deficit.
Reller started his night at the plate by tripling off the 18.55-foot-high wall in right field in the first and added to his tally with a third-inning double to right. The Northeastern (Okla.) State product then knocked in the go-ahead runs in the fourth inning with a single to score Paige and Trent Taylor and put State College up 8-6.
With his two RBI’s, Reller extended his streak of consecutive games with a run batted in to seven, which is just two games shy of David Washington’s club record of nine in a row. Taylor went 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 10 games, making it the longest active string in the MLB Draft League.
Adan Fernandez, who went 3-for-3 in the game, singled in the sixth which, combined with an error, brought in Bellefonte, Pa. native Logan Mathieu to bring the Black Bears within a run, but West Virginia would get no closer. Mathieu, who collected four hits in the series opener on Tuesday, went 2-for-5 at the plate on Wednesday.
Devin Buckner notched a sacrifice fly in the second and Brody Perkes drove in a run with a single in the same frame to help the State College offense.
Wednesday’s game was another chapter in what has been a high-scoring series at Medlar Field, as the Spikes and Black Bears have combined for 38 runs and 51 hits over the first two games of the set.
State College reliever Isaiah Marwood (1-0) earned the win in his second appearance with the club, allowing one unearned run on two hits and a walk while striking out two batters over two innings in the effort.
Dakota Hudson (3) shook off an error in the ninth to strike out two batters in his lone inning of work and nail down his third save of the MLB Draft League season.
Eldred (3-1) took the loss for West Virginia, his first of the season after beginning with three consecutive wins, as he yielded eight runs, seven of them earned, on nine hits, two walks and a hit batsman over four innings. The right-hander also recorded two strikeouts.
Thursday, the Spikes and Black Bears meet for the finale of their three-game series at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The 6:35 p.m. rubber match will feature right-hander Jared Kengott (2-1) on the hill for State College against West Virginia right-hander Zach Bravo (2-1).
It will be Bellefonte Community Night at the ballpark, celebrating the seat of Centre County and the home of seven governors as well as the Black Bears’ Logan Mathieu, the MLB Draft League’s second-half home run leader. The fun will include a special pre-game performance by the Bellefonte Area High School Band, and it’s also a FREE Geisinger Kids Zone! for the night thanks to Friends of Jake Corman.
Plus, it’s Thirsty Thursday, with $2 16-ounce select drafts and $4 16-ounce craft drafts available from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
In addition, the Spikes will add a new menu item for Thursday – chicken wings! Fans can grab the tasty wings at $9 for a half-dozen at designated ballpark locations.
Tickets for Thursday’s game and every game remaining in the second half of the Spikes’ biggest regular season home schedule in franchise history, including all three remaining FIREWORKS from the Field shows, are available now. Tickets can be purchased by calling (814) 272-1711 or by visiting the Spikes Ticket Office in person from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Fans can also buy and download single-game tickets, and view the full 2022 promotional schedule, at the only source for authentic Spikes tickets online by visiting StateCollegeSpikes.com.
More ticket packages, including Flex Books and an array of group and hospitality options for the 2022 season, are currently on sale by calling the Spikes at (814) 272-1711. Additional information on all club ticketing options, as well as team news and schedule info, can be viewed at StateCollegeSpikes.com.
Catch all the action of the Spikes’ game on Thursday via the Spikes Radio Network presented by Penn State Sports Medicine, Official Healthcare Provider of Penn State Athletics with Steve Jones and Joe Putnam on the call. The broadcast starts with Spikes Live! presented by Mount Nittany Health, on the air from Medlar Field at Lubrano Park at approximately 6:10 p.m.
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.