Trending
WILLIAMSPORT- Justin Journette capped a three-homer sixth inning for the State College Spikes with the longest of them all, a 467-foot, two-run shot that was the longest ever hit in MLB Draft League play, as the Spikes defeated the Williamsport Crosscutters, 8-5, on Tuesday night at Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field.
Journette, who homered twice in Monday night's game at the same ballpark, sent his blast almost over the 45-foot-high batter's eye in dead center field on an 0-1 pitch from Williamsport (7-4 2nd Half) starter Kenney Fabian (0-1). The round-tripper was the fifth of the season for Journette, and completed a hat trick of Spikes (6-5 2nd Half) homers in the span of four batters.
CJ Richmond started the sixth with a 432-foot solo shot over the Crosscutters bullpen in right field on the first pitch of the frame for his fourth homer of the season, followed by Camden Ross's solo homer to left-center field on the second pitch he saw for his third tater of the year.
The trio of titanic blasts propelled a six-run inning for the Spikes that increased a 2-1 lead to 8-1, with a Trent Turner sacrifice fly and a Richmond RBI double in his second at-bat of the stanza finishing the State College scoring.
State College had struck first with Richmond's RBI fielder's choice and Ross's run-scoring single in the second.
Williamsport did put together a late flurry, however, with a Matthew Williams two-run homer to right field, his third of the season, and a Carson Bayne RBI double putting the tying run on deck. Patrick Morris would buckle down by notching his fifth strikeout of the game, though, whiffing Sam DeCarlo to complete his second inning of work and sew up the win.
Spikes starter Lex Kenny (1-1) was brilliant in a winning performance, allowing just one run on four hits and recording one strikeout over five innings.
Fabian took the loss after being charged with six total runs on seven hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out two batters over five innings.