NYPL State College Spikes

Dodson Holds Yankees At Bay In Spikes' 4-2 Win

Published on August 6, 2010 under New York-Penn League (NYPL)
State College Spikes News Release


STATE COLLEGE - Zack Dodson fired five innings of shutout ball, allowing just one walk and no hits to pick up the win as the State College Spikes clinched their first-ever series victory over the Staten Island Yankees with a 4-2 win at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Friday night.

Dodson (2-2) faced just one batter over the minimum, with Staten Island (21-23) third baseman Garrison Lassiter the only batter to reach base with a third-inning walk. The left-hander from Natalia, Texas also struck out five in the effort to earn his second professional victory.

State College (24-24) was able to take the early lead in support of Dodson when Adalberto Santos drove in Mel Rojas, Jr. with an RBI groundout in the first. The Spikes added to their lead when Matt Curry doubled and scored on Pat Irvine's single in the third inning, and bumped the lead to 3-0 in the seventh when Santos knocked in Kelson Brown.

The Yankees then responded with a pair of runs in the eighth inning to draw within one, but State College was able to push the lead back to two on Miguel Mendez's run-scoring groundout in the bottom half of the frame. Jason Townsend (3) finished off the victory with a one-hit ninth to remain perfect in save opportunities this season.

Irvine and Brown each produced multi-hit games, and Curry upped his doubles total to 11 with his two-base hit in the third.

Shane Greene (2-5) started and took the loss for Staten Island after allowing two runs on four hits and two walks over four innings. Greene struck out seven in the effort.

The victory was the second for the Spikes over the Yankees in two nights, matching the all-time win total for State College against Staten Island heading into Wednesday.

Saturday, the Spikes welcome a new opponent to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park as the Tri-City ValleyCats, affiliates of the Houston Astros, come to Happy Valley to start a three-game series with a 7:05 p.m. matchup. State College will send left-hander Colton Cain (0-1) to the mound to face Tri-City right-hander Jake Buchanan (3-2).

Former Penn State catcher Ben Heath, the Astros' fifth-round pick in the 2010 MLB Draft, leads the ValleyCats with six home runs on the year. Heath set a Nittany Lions single-season record with 19 homers this past spring.

Fans can join the Spikes in showing their support for the fight against breast cancer on Paint the Park Pink Night, presented by the Mount Nittany Medical Center. Ballpark gates open at 6 p.m. (5:50 for season ticket holders), and the first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a Pink Spikes T-Shirt.

Plus, Spikes players will wear special pink jerseys which fans can bid on during a silent auction during the game. Winners in the Pink Jersey-off-the-Back Auction will receive their jerseys, autographed by the player wearing the jersey, right after the game. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the Foundation for Mount Nittany Medical Center. Breast cancer survivors will also be honored throughout the evening as fans do their part to raise awareness and funds in the battle against breast cancer.

It's also a Scratch n' Win Saturday, where every fan is a winner. Each fan will receive a scratch-off card with a great Spikes prize, and one lucky fan will receive tickets to every 2011 Spikes home game. After the game, kids can run the bases, too, thanks to HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital.

For ticket information, visit the Medlar Field at Lubrano Park Box Office, call the Spikes at (814) 272-1711, or log on to StateCollegeSpikes.com.

Fans can catch all of the action on the Spikes Radio Network and flagship station 95.3 FM 3WZ starting at 6:35 p.m. with the Spikes GameDay Show live from the right field Fun Deck at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

The Spikes' radio broadcast can also be heard worldwide through the "Listen Live" link on StateCollegeSpikes.com, provided by 95.3 FM 3WZ.

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New York-Penn League Stories from August 6, 2010


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