STATE COLLEGE, PA – A back-and-forth battle under the summer lights at Medlar Field ended in frustration for the hometown crowd Sunday night, as the Trenton Thunder stormed ahead in the sixth and held off a late push from the State College Spikes to secure an 8-5 victory. What began as a tightly contested game unraveled for the Spikes in the sixth inning, costing them a chance to move up in the standings.
The Thunder and Spikes exchanged blows early, with each side plating a run by the third inning. Carmelo Musacchia kicked off the scoring for the Spikes in the bottom of the second, reaching on a single, stealing second and third, and crossing the plate on a groundout by Javon Hernandez to make it 1-0. Trenton quickly responded in the third as Rowan Masse capitalized on a wild pitch and a sac fly from Michael Whooley to tie the game at 1-1.
The middle innings saw the game teeter between defensive duels and wild pitches. In the fourth, Jakob Poturnak singled in Aaron Graeber following a costly fielding error, giving the Thunder a 2-1 lead. But Musacchia once again proved a difference-maker for State College in the fifth, walking, stealing second, and then scoring on a pair of wild pitches to knot the game 2-2.
The Spikes then took their first and only lead of the night in the bottom of the sixth. After loading the bases on a series of walks and a wild pitch, Quinn Bentley and Matt Evans each delivered sacrifice flies to push across two runs. A throwing error on Evans’ sac fly allowed a third runner to advance, setting the table for more, but the Spikes couldn’t build further. Still, they emerged from the frame with a 4-2 advantage and momentum on their side.
But that momentum didn’t last.
The top of the sixth spiraled quickly for State College. Reliever Caden Wooster allowed a single and a walk, followed by a flurry of mistakes—including a wild pitch, a passed ball, and a fielding error—that led to three runs and the collapse of the Spikes’ lead. Then Aaron Whitley and Michael Whooley delivered RBI singles to cap off a five-run inning, flipping the game on its head and handing the Thunder a 7-4 lead.
The Spikes chipped into the deficit in the seventh when Caden Shapiro scored on an RBI groundout from Matt Evans, but that was the last run they’d score. The Thunder tacked on an insurance run in the ninth when Jakob Poturnak tripled and Carsten Sabathia III followed with a double to make it 8-5.
From there, the Thunder bullpen took control. Collin Bosley-Smith came on in the ninth and shut the door with a strikeout and two flyouts, picking up his first save of the season and preserving the win for Eddie Smink, who improves to 2-0.
Despite the loss, there were bright spots for State College. Carmelo Musacchia was a constant threat on the basepaths with three stolen bases, and Aaron Whitley reached base multiple times and drove in a run. But the story of the night was missed opportunities and defensive miscues—the Spikes committed three errors and allowed several runs on wild pitches and passed balls.
With the loss, the Spikes fall to 5-7 on the season, while the Thunder improve to 7-8. The Spikes will look to clean up the fundamentals and rebound as they prepare for their next matchup in the MLB Draft League grind.
