NILES — A post-game fireworks show lit up the skies at Eastwood Field Friday night following the game between the Mahoning Valley Scrappers and State College Spikes.

Beforehand, the Scrappers lit up the scoreboard.

The Scrappers put together a pair of six-run innings en route to a 15-7 win over the Spikes in front of 2,802 fans. The 15 runs is a season-high for the Scrappers.

The Scrappers (9-14) wasted no time scoring the game’s first run. With two outs in the bottom of the first inning, designated hitter Brandon Hylton belted his first home run of the season, a solo shot over the left field wall to give the Scrappers a 1-0 lead.

Scrappers starter Ruddy Gomez kept the game in the Scrappers’ favor into the fifth inning. Gomez didn’t surrender a hit through four, but issued a one-out walk in the fifth followed by an infield single. Gomez recovered to record his sixth strikeout of the night, but then Aden Howard cleared the bases and gave the Spikes a 3-1 lead with a rocket into the right-field bullpen.

The Scrappers’ offense then ignited some in-game fireworks in the bottom half of the fifth, scoring six runs while sending 10 men to the plate.

Mason Sykes, Braeden O’Shaughnessy, Ny’Zaiah Thompson and J.R. Bedford all plated runs in the inning, with Sykes plating a pair on a single.

In the bottom of the seventh, the first six batters scored and the Scrappers sent 11 men to the plate. Connor Capece and Thompson each collected two RBIs in the frame

Oliver Service went 3-for-4 with three doubles and three runs scored for the Scrappers. Thompson collected five RBIs.

The Spikes and Scrappers continue their three-game series tonight at 7:05.

ON THE MARK

Scrappers pitcher Connor Markl says he enjoys the long days that go along with being a part of the MLB Draft League. The travel, the daily games, the long hours at the ballpark, they’re all viewed as a welcome opportunity for the lefty.

“Some players view it as a grind, but I love the game, I love being around my coaches and teammates and learning from them so I enjoy the long hours,” Markl said. “I learned valuable lessons about time management in high school. It has helped me in college and while playing summer league baseball.”

For two years, Markl’s daily routine in high school began with a 5 a.m. dip in the swimming pool. It wasn’t a leisurely swim, mind you, but rather a rugged workout. Markl was a competitive swimmer for eight years, competing in his hometown of Scottsdale, AZ.

Following his early morning workouts in the pool, Markl attended classes, then practiced or played baseball at night, and oftentimes also had to make time for swimming meets.

“I loved swimming (competitively) and it really kept me in shape for baseball,” Markl said. “Even during the COVID shutdown, I did a lot of work in the pool with bands to strengthen my shoulders and core.

“The two sports really complemented each other. I’ll still get in the pool today as part of a baseball workout.”

When Markl committed to Grand Canyon University at the very start of his senior year in high school, he gave up competitive swimming to put all of his focus on baseball. Three years later, the move has paid off. He has been a mainstay with the Grand Canyon pitching staff, both as a starter (25 games) and a reliever (20 games). He has logged 145 innings at GCU, with 156 strikeouts.

“I remember once in high school I was throwing in the bullpen, just trying not to make a fool of myself and a coach came up and said, ‘Your change-up is really good, you have a future ahead of you,'” Markl said. “That was kind of the shot of confidence I needed to believe in myself.”

Markl says he has “been around the block once or twice” regarding his recent summers. Two years ago he played in the Northwoods League (Wisconsin), last year it was the Cape Cod League (Massachusetts) and now it’s in Ohio with the Scrappers.

He describes the MLB Draft League as “the cream of the crop” in terms of summer baseball.

“The atmosphere is great, and I love that our coaches are very understanding of what we are trying to accomplish both individually and as a team,” Markl said. “From a competitive standpoint, this league is loaded with talent.”

Markl’s collegiate highlights include getting a win in the WAC title game to send his team to the regionals (freshman season) and recording a career-high 11 strikeouts against No. 3 Stanford (sophomore season). This past spring in the home opener against No. 2 Tennessee he earned the start and helped lead his team to victory.

Markl has one remaining year of athletic eligibility and is one semester shy of earning a degree in Sports Management.