Pitch By Pitch

The Spikes lost their 3rd consecutive 1-run game, as the Mahoning Valley Scrappers outlasted State College 2-1. Michael Felix, Marc Baca, and Mike Williams combined to allow just 5 hits, and they struck out 6 Scrappers’ batters.

In the top of the 3rd inning, Andy Vasquez singled with 1 out. Tony Sanchez followed with a ground ball to shortstop that could have been a double-play ball. An error on the second baseman kept the inning alive. Kyle Morgan tripled to score Sanchez and give the Spikes the lead.

The bottom of the 6th, started the Marc Baca hitting Jason Smit with a pitch. A Roberto Perez double scored Baca and Jordan Henry hit a ball to third baseman, Freizer Pedron. A Pedron error allowed Perez to score the go-ahead run.

     Game of 6/23/2009 -- State College at Mahoning Valley (N)

  State College      AB  R  H RBI    Mahoning Valley    AB  R  H RBI  
Holt B, 2b            4  0  1  0   Basabe L, 2b          3  0  1  0   
Vasquez A, ss         3  0  1  0   Greenwell B, lf       2  0  0  0   
Sanchez T, c          4  1  2  0   Bellows K, 3b         4  0  2  0   
Morgan K, 1b          4  0  1  1   Allman J, rf          4  0  1  0   
Rubinstein D, rf      4  0  0  0   Smit J, 1b            3  1  0  0   
Irvine P, lf          4  0  0  0   Chen C, dh            4  0  0  0   
Rosero C, dh          3  0  0  0   Smith K, ss           4  0  0  0   
Byler J, ph           1  0  0  0   Perez R, c            3  1  1  1   
Pedron F, 3b          3  0  1  0   Henry J, cf           3  0  0  0   
Parry C, ph           1  0  0  0   
Garcia E, cf          3  0  1  0   
                     -- -- -- --                        -- -- -- --
                     34  1  7  1                        30  2  5  1   

State College    001 000 000 --  1
Mahoning Valley  000 002 00x --  2

  State College        IP  H  R ER BB SO
Felix M               4.0  3  0  0  1  2
Baca M (L)            2.0  2  2  1  1  1
Williams M            2.0  0  0  0  0  3

  Mahoning Valley      IP  H  R ER BB SO
Popham M              5.0  6  1  0  1  4
Kirk N (W)            3.0  1  0  1  0  4
Burns C (S)           1.0  0  0  0  0  3

E -- Felix M, Pedron F 2, Sanchez T, Basabe L
DP -- State College 1
LOB -- State College 7, Mahoning Valley 8
2B -- Perez R
3B -- Morgan K
SB -- Smit J
CS -- Basabe L, Chen C
HBP -- by Felix M (Basabe L), by Baca M (Smit J)
PB -- Sanchez T
T -- 2:35
A -- 4682

Over the past few days, the Pirates have continued to sign their 2009 draft picks, and they now have a total of 12 signings.

1st Rounder, Tony Sanchez signed, and he has been playing for State College.
1st Round Supplemental Pick, Victor Black signed, and he will be assigned to State College.
2nd Rounder, Brooks Pounders signed, and he will be assigned to the Gulf Coast League.
9th Rounder, Brock Holt signed, and he will be assigned to State College.
11th Rounder, Aaron Baker signed.
21st Rounder, Philip Irwin signed.
23rd Round – Jose Hernandez signed and has been playing for State College.
24th Round – Jason Erickson signed and has been playing for State College.
30th Round – Ty Summerlin signed and has been playing for State College.
33rd Round – Patrick Irvine signed and has been playing for State College.
42nd Round – Marc Baca signed and has been playing for State College.
43rd Rounder, Ed Fallon signed.

Also of note, the Pirates 2008 1st round draft pick, Pedro Alvarez, has been promoted to AA-Altoona. He will make his AA debut on Tuesday night. Dustin Molleken, Michael Dubee, and Miles Durham will join Alvarez in Altoona.

Brad Lincoln was promoted to AAA-Indianapolis.

Four errors and a whole lot of hits in two disastrous innings doomed the State College Spikes on their opening night against the Williamsport Crosscutters. The Cutters got 8 hits in the top of the 5th, and they took advantage of a Spikes’ error and hit-by-pitch to score 8 runs and blow the game wide open. They added 5 more hits and 5 more runs in the top of the 9th to complete their destruction of the Baby Bucs.

Friday night’s game at sold-out Medlar Field at Lubrano Park featured some of the Pirates’ 2008 draft picks and some of the 2009 draft picks that have already signed with the club.

2008
11th Round – David Rubinstein
34th Round – Matthew Payne
35th Round – Tyler Cox
36th Round – Kyle Morgan
38th Round – Alan Knotts
39th Round – Albert Fagan
50th Round – Craig Parry

2009
23rd Round – Jose Hernandez
24th Round – Jason Erickson
30th Round – Ty Summerlin
33rd Round – Patrick Irvine
42nd Round – Marc Baca

Pirates’ first round draft pick, Tony Sanchez, will join the team today in Williamsport where they will finish out the final two games of the opening series.

     Game of 6/19/2009 -- Williamsport at State College (N)

  Williamsport       AB  R  H RBI    State College      AB  R  H RBI  
James J, cf           5  1  1  0   Garcia E, cf          3  1  1  0   
Castro L, lf          6  2  5  2   Hernandez J, ph-lf    1  0  0  0   
Barnes J, ss          6  1  2  1   Vasquez A, ss         3  0  2  0   
Murillo F, 1b         5  2  2  3   Willemburg B, ss      0  0  0  0   
Batts S, 2b           4  2  1  1   Byler J, dh           3  0  0  0   
Hewitt A, 3b          4  1  1  1   Irvine P, ph-dh       1  0  0  0   
Dabbs M, rf           4  2  1  0   Morgan K, 1b          4  0  1  0   
Warren T, dh          5  3  3  4   Rubinstein D, rf      2  0  0  0   
Rodriguez J, c        5  1  3  2   Parry C, c            4  0  0  0   
                                   Payne M, 3b           4  1  1  0   
                                   Rosero C, lf-cf       4  0  2  1   
                                   Pedron F, 2b          3  0  0  0   
                                   Summerlin T, 2b       0  0  0  0   
                     -- -- -- --                        -- -- -- --
                     44 15 19 14                        32  2  7  1   

Williamsport     100 180 005 -- 15
State College    110 000 000 --  2

  Williamsport         IP  H  R ER BB SO
Lebron S (W)          5.2  6  2  2  1  5
Massingham E          1.1  1  0  0  0  2
Long J                1.0  0  0  0  1  2
Grieve S              1.0  0  0  0  1  1

  State College        IP  H  R ER BB SO
Cox T (L)             4.2 10 10  8  1  4
Knotts A              1.1  3  0  0  0  1
Erickson J            1.0  0  0  0  0  1
Baca M                1.0  1  0  0  0  1
Fagan A               1.0  5  5  5  1  0

E -- Cox T, Vasquez A, Rubinstein D, Pedron F
DP -- Williamsport 1, State College 2
LOB -- Williamsport 6, State College 6
2B -- Garcia E, Payne M, Murillo F 2, Warren T, Morgan K
3B -- Warren T
HR -- Castro L
SB -- Vasquez A
CS -- Castro L
SF -- Hewitt A
HBP -- by Cox T (Dabbs M)
PB -- Rodriguez J
T -- 2:42
A -- 5593

Rounds 31 through 50 of the 2009 draft are scheduled for today.

Round 31 – #925 – Zachary Taylor – RF – Statesboro HS
Round 32 – #955 – Niko Spezial – LHP – Don Bosco Prep HS
Round 33 – #985 – Pat Irvine – LF – Elon
Round 34 – #1015 – Zachary Fuesser – Walters State CC
Round 35 – #1045 – Christopher McKezie – RHP – San Jacinto Col North
Round 36 – #1075 – Robert Doran – RHP – Seward County CC
Round 37 – #1105 – Zachary Nuding – RHP – Weatherford Col
Round 38 – #1135 – Jacob Lamb – 3B – Bishop Blanchet HS
Round 39 – #1165 – Keifer Nuncio – RHP – Katy HS
Round 40 – #1195 – Brett Lee – LHP – West Florida HS of Advanced Technology
Round 41 – #1225 – Tyler Cannon – SS – Virginia
Round 42 – #1255 – Marc Baca – RHP – Nevada Las Vegas
Round 43 – #1285 – Edward Fallon – RHP – South Carolina Upstate
Round 44 – #1315 – Dexter Bobo – LHP – Georgia Southern
Round 45 – #1345 – Kevin Gelinas – LHP – Central Arizona
Round 46 – #1375 – Parker Bangs – RHP – South Carolina
Round 47 – #1405 – Justin Earls – LHP – Georgia
Round 48 – #1435 – Blake Brown – LF – Normal West HS
Round 49 – #1465 – Yasser Clor – RHP – UC Berkeley
Round 50 – #1495 – Matthew Taylor – LHP – Columbus HS