NILES, Ohio – Brady Whalen drove in all four runs for the State College Spikes as they extended their franchise-record road winning streak to 11 games with a 4-1 win over the Mahoning Valley Scrappers on Saturday night at Eastwood Field.
Whalen hit his sixth home run of the season, a two-run shot to the Spikes (28-31) bullpen in left field, in the third inning to produce the first runs of the game. The Cardinals’ 2016 12th-round draft choice then doubled to right field to knock in two more runs in the fifth to extend the State College lead to 4-0.
Eli Kraus (2-1) made the lead stand up with a quality outing on the mound. Kraus gave up just one run, stopping a 10-inning scoreless streak, on four hits over six innings of work. The Kent State product and Medina, Ohio native struck out three batters in his return to the Buckeye State.
Mahoning Valley (32-27) shortstop and New York-Penn League All-Star Tyler Freeman scored the Scrappers’ only run after doubling in the sixth and scoring on Mitch Reeves’s groundout. Freeman produced three doubles on the night, setting Mahoning Valley’s single-season record with 26 two-base hits.
Will Changarotty followed Kraus on the mound for the Spikes and delivered two scoreless innings of relief before Kevin Hamann (8) nailed down the win with a two-hit ninth for his eighth save in as many opportunities. Changarotty and Hamann each recorded one strikeout in the game.
Scrappers starter Yeffersson Yannuzzi (0-2) took the loss after being charged with all four Spikes runs on a total of four hits and two walks. Yannuzzi struck out three batters in the effort.
Imeldo Diaz also recorded a multi-hit game for the Spikes.
State College now seeks its second consecutive road sweep of Mahoning Valley in the finale of a three-game series at Eastwood Field on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. The Spikes will send right-hander Chris Holba (2-2) to the mound to face Scrappers right-hander Cameron Mingo (2-3).