Spikes Opening Night

Reviewed by DaBraLady
It was a beautiful night for baseball as the sun set over Happy Valley. Our seats were just to the left of home plate and offered an amazing view of Mount Nittany.

The Williamsport Crosscutters just became the NY-Penn League affiliate of the Phillies this year, while the Spikes just became affiliated with the Pirates. Ironically the Crosscutters were the Pirates farm team last year, so many of this years Spikes were last years Crosscutters.

The game started out a bit slowly, but the atmosphere at the ballpark was wonderful. The standouts of the teams became apparent very quickly. D'arby Myers in centerfield for the 'Cutters went 3 for 4. At 6' 3" and 170, the long and lanky 18 year old had a nice swing and moved well in the outfield. The 'Cutters first baseman, Mike Durant was an intimidating figure at the plate. His 6' 5" 230 lb. frame belied the fact that he is only 20 years old! He smacked a beautiful homerun in the 8th inning giving the 'Cutters an insurance run. Relief pitcher Brian Schlitter really brought some heat. After being a little wild at first, settled down nicely to get the save. He averaged over 90 mph with his fastball.

The Spike's Justin Byler went 3 for 4, but he got little help from his teammates. They left too many men in scoring position, including a bases loaded opportunity late in the game. Relief pitcher, Ronald Uvideo, clocked a fast ball at 99 mph.

The 'Cutters won the game 2 to 0.

We had a wonderful time and enjoyed a nice fireworks display after the game. It was a bit disconcerting to realize how young these kids are. The oldest was born in 1982! The youngest in 1989! Damn, I could have been their mother!