Photo shot by Juliette Phillips for HVS
TRENTON, NJ – The State College Spikes put together an all-around effort on Saturday night, knocking off the Trenton Thunder 4-1 at Trenton Thunder Ballpark.
The Spikes broke through in the top of the second inning. Quinn Bentley drew a walk, Ryan Rivera singled, and Merik Carter earned a walk to load the bases. With nowhere to put him, Camden Ross was hit by a pitch, pushing Bentley across for the game’s first run. Another bases-loaded walk to Matt Evans gave the Spikes a quick 2-0 lead.
On the mound, Luke House (W, 1-0, 0.96 ERA) was in command from the start. House spun five scoreless innings, mixing speeds and locations to stifle the Thunder bats and keep State College comfortably ahead.
The Spikes added another run in the fifth. Matt Evans singled, swiped second, and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Javon Hernandez. Landen Johnson delivered a sacrifice fly to center, making it 3-0.
State College kept the pressure on in the sixth. Merik Carter drew another walk and promptly stole both second and third, then scored on a sacrifice fly from Matt Evans, stretching the lead to 4-0.
Trenton’s only run came in the bottom of the 6th on a double by JuJu Stevens, but sharp defense from Carter in right field cut down an additional run at the plate, preserving the cushion.
Brett Dunham (S, 1) sealed the win with a clean ninth, as the Spikes’ bullpen combined to keep Trenton off balance and off the bases late.
Evans and Rivera sparked the offense, while the entire lineup showed patience at the plate, drawing key walks and executing in big moments.
With the victory, State College improves to 8-9 on the year. The Spikes look to ride this momentum as they face the Thunder again in Trenton on Sunday.
Photos for this game were shot by a new photographer for HVS – Juliette Phillips! You can find her work over at @juliette.photography_13 on Instagram. See her full gallery below!
