NILES, Ohio – Evan York put the State College Spikes ahead in the sixth inning with a two-run blast to right field, but the Mahoning Valley Scrappers used some late power to take an 8-5 decision on Thursday night at 7/17 Credit Union Field at Eastwood.

York, a 19-year-old switch-hitting catcher from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada who played for the Canadian Junior National Team in 2025, jumped on a 3-1 pitch from Ciaran Caughey with one out in the sixth and sent it 370 feet to the Mahoning Valley (3-0) bullpen in right field to put the Spikes (0-3) in front, 6-5.

Trent Turner also starred offensively for State College, going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Luke Nomura also contributed a pair of doubles, while CJ Richmond notched two hits and stole two bases for the Spikes as well.

State College had battled back from an early 4-1 deficit that included a solo homer from Mahoning Valley’s Carlos Sanchez in the fourth, and it would be the Scrappers’ power that decided the game in the eighth. After Jack Cannon scampered around the bases for an inside-the-park home run to lead off the inning, Jarren Purify followed three batters later with a two-run homer to give the game its final score.

Mahoning Valley reliever Jacob Faulkner (1-0) tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings to pick up the win. Jack Messmore (1) pitched a one-hit ninth for the save. AJ Rogers (0-2) took the loss in relief for the Spikes after pitching the eighth inning.