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GRANVILLE, W. Va. - Despite the second 16-strikeout performance from their pitching staff in a week, the State College Spikes dropped a 5-3 decision to the West Virginia Black Bears on Monday night at Kendrick Family Ballpark to remain 1 ½ games back of the Aberdeen IronBirds in the race for the second-half berth in the MLB Draft League Championship Game.
With Aberdeen's loss to the Williamsport Crosscutters on Monday, the Spikes (21-18 2nd Half) kept pace in the race to oppose the Crosscutters in the title tilt on Wednesday, September 2 at Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. Both the Spikes and IronBirds have seven games remaining on their regular season slates.
The Spikes' 16 whiffs from Caleb Ruter, Josh Gentile (1-1), Zach Kilby, Lex Kenny and Patrick Morris matched their total from Friday night against Trenton and their third such effort of the season. State College pitchers also recorded 16 strikeouts on June 17 against the Canadian Junior National Team.
While the Spikes were able to avert one comeback bid from the Black Bears (18-22 2nd Half), Jackson Trout's two-out, two-run double in the fifth gave West Virginia the lead for good.
After CJ Richmond gave State College a 2-0 lead in the third with a blistering two-out, two-run single to center field clocked at over 110 miles per hour, West Virginia tied it up in the fourth with Ian Collier's RBI single and Owen Petrich's ground-rule double. However, Gentile (1-1) got the Spikes out of trouble in a bases-loaded, one-out situation with a strikeout and ground ball fielder's choice.
Camden Ross, who set a new Spikes franchise record by being hit with a pitch for the 21st time this season on Sunday night, then restored the lead to State College with a run-scoring single in the fifth, taking his RBI count to 44 for this season.
In the bottom of the fifth, though, three straight walks, the last with the bases loaded to Alec DeMartino, resulted in Gentile's departure. Two batters later, Trout doubled off Kilby to complete the scoring.
Tyler Kaltreider (4-1) ended up the winning pitching after starting and going five innings for the Black Bears. Kaltreider allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out six batters. Dawson Hall (5) pitched a perfect ninth for the save.