Daniel Kanagy

STATE COLLEGE – It’s been a whirlwind 24 hours for East Juniata High School product Daniel Kanagy.

The rookie right-hander was expecting to pitch on Sunday, but that scheduled start was for the West Virginia Black Bears against the Frederick (Md.) Keys in Morgantown, W.Va.

After learning he has been reassigned to Williamsport on Saturday, the 22-year-old Kanagy headed to Pennsylvania to pitch for the Crosscutters as they visited the State College Spikes on Sunday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in University Park.

Kanagy took the mound but didn’t get much time to settle into his new surroundings. He pitched 1 1/3 innings for the Crosscutters, allowing two runs on three hits, striking out one and walking three. Jackson Mayo and Marquis Jackson each homered as Williamsport outlasted State College 12-8 in an old-fashioned slugfest.

Williamsport (18-24, 6-6 second half) scored three runs in the top of the first inning to stake Kanagy to a 3-0 lead. Vantrel Reed singled then stole second and Jackson singled to put runners at the corners. The Crosscutters took a 1-0 lead on a successful double steal as Reed snuck home. After Rayth Petersen walked, Max Mendler drove in two more runs with a double to center field.

In the bottom of the frame, Kanagy retired the first two batters he faced as Adonis Forte and Chenar Brown each popped up. Kanagy gave up a base hit to Cole Caruso and walked Manny Jackson before getting Conor Higgs to line out sharply to center to retire the side.

In the second, the Spikes (23-17, 6-5) got to him for two runs as Jakobi Davis walked and Trotter Boston singled to put runners at the corners. After Kanagy struck out James Oman, Forte smacked a two-run double to make the score 3-2 and end Kanagy’s night.

“It was going good,” Kanagy said during a post-game interview. “I was starting to get settled in but then got yanked. We’ll see what the next one holds.”

Certainly, Kanagy and his family and friends who have driven to the Penn State campus to see his pitch were disappointed.

“I forget how many, but it was a decent amount,” Kanagy said of the number of family and friends who made the trip.

They still got to see an eventual Crosscutters’ victory.

Williamsport posted a three-spot in the third as Joey Parliament walked with the bases loaded and TJ Racherbaumer rapped a two-run single to make it a 6-2 game.

The Spikes answered with a three-spot in the third and a run in the fourth to tie the game at 6-6.

In the sixth, Jackson helped Williamsport regain the lead, stroking an RBI single to center for a 7-6 lead. The Crosscutters scored runs in each of the remaining innings to come away with the victory, thanks to a Mayo’s solo homer in the eighth and Marquis Jackson’s two-run shot in the ninth.

The Crosscutters used six pitchers in the contest, while State College used four. Jared Ure earned the win, allowing one run on three hits in three innings of work. He struck out one and walked one.

Dylan Cheeley was the loser, giving up one run on a hit and walking one in one inning.

Offensively, Racherbaumer and Marquis Jackson each had three hits and three RBIs for Williamsport, while Mayo and Mandler each had two. Every batter in the Crosscutters’ lineup had a hit.

Caruso racked up four hits for State College.

Williamsport outhit the Spikes, 15-13. The teams also combined to make five errors.

The Crosscutters head home to face Mahoning Valley on Wednesday.