NILES, OH - Adalberto Santos tripled in Gift Ngoepe with the game's only run in the sixth inning, and a trio of State College Spikes pitchers combined for a historic shutout as the Spikes defeated the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, 1-0, on Sunday evening at Eastwood Field.
The win marked the first back-to-back shutouts for a Spikes (19-18) pitching staff in team history. Casey Sadler, Brooks Pounders (2-2), and Jhonathan Ramos (1) each went three innings to earn the third shutout victory of the year for State College. Sadler allowed four hits, Pounders two in the win and Ramos two in the save as the three combined for four strikeouts and zero walks to extend the Spikes' team record shutout string to 22 innings, following a 7-0 win over Auburn on Saturday.
Ngoepe was the only Spike to get two hits, including the ground-rule double that preceded Santos's go-ahead triple. State College was held to four hits as a team by Mahoning Valley (14-23) starter Alex Kaminsky (4-2) and two relievers.
The Scrappers threatened in the first inning with runners on second and third, and did so again in the ninth inning when Geovanny Urshela led off with a ground-rule double, but could not plate a run on either occasion.
The win was also the seventh 1-0 victory in franchise history for State College.
