NYPL State College Spikes

Holba, Villalobos Team up to Blank Muckdogs, 3-0, for Spikes' Fifth Straight Win

July 30, 2018 - New York-Penn League (NYPL)
State College Spikes News Release


UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Chris Holba held the Batavia Muckdogs at bay for six innings, and Hector Villalobos completed the shutout with three innings of work as the State College Spikes notched their fifth straight win with a 3-0 victory on Monday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

Holba (2-1), the St. Louis Cardinals' 11th-round draft choice in 2018 out of East Carolina, made the longest start of his professional career and scattered four hits while striking out six batters.

Villalobos (1) then whiffed five batters and yielded just one hit for his first save with the Spikes (19-23).

State College took the lead in the third when a double play ball scored Nick Dunn, and extended its advantage to 2-0 when Dunn brought in Justin Toerner with a single in the fourth.

Toerner then plated the last Spikes run with a sacrifice fly to left field in the fifth.

Dunn and Brady Whalen each produced multi-hit games for State College. Edwin Figuera was hit by a pitch for the New York-Penn League-leading 13th time.

Batavia (17-25) starter Peyton Culbertson (1-2) took the loss after giving up one run on four hits, two walks and a hit batsman over three innings. Culbertson struck out four batters in the effort.

Brayan Hernandez was the only Muckdog with multiple hits.

The Spikes will seek to extend their longest winning streak of the season in the middle game of their three-game series against the Muckdogs on Tuesday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

First pitch is set to fly at 7:05 p.m. with left-hander Jacob Schlesener (1-3) on the mound for State College. Schlesener threw five shutout innings for the win at Connecticut on Thursday in his last start.

Batavia will send right-hander Bryce Howe (0-1) to the mound.

Fans can enjoy $2 Walking Taco Tuesday at the ballpark, presented by B94.5. Walking Tacos will be available for just $2 each at various ballpark locations throughout the night.

Plus, it's Jared Box Night as the Spikes invite fans to contribute to the Jared Box Project to allow them to build boxes for kids receiving hospital care.

In addition, it's Halloween Night on July 31, as fans are encouraged to wear their costumes to the ballpark with trick-or-treating available at the game as well as other spooky good fun.

The homestand continues through Saturday, with more highlights including the second Super Splash Day of the year on Wednesday, August 1, doubleheader action against the Auburn Doubledays with $1 Beer Thursday presented by BIG Froggy 101 on August 2, Bark in the Park III, presented by NEWSRADIO 1390 WRSC, on Friday, August 3, and Animal House Night with a State "College" Sweater Jersey-off-the-Back Auction presented by PSECU to benefit Children's Miracle Network and FIREWORKS on Saturday, August 4.

Tickets for every game from Tuesday through Saturday, as well as the 2018 New York-Penn League All-Star Game presented by the Central PA Convention & Visitors Bureau, the 2018 NYPL All-Star Tailgate Gala presented by Reinhart Foodservice, and every game on the 2018 Spikes home schedule, are currently on sale through the Spikes Ticket Office.

Tickets can be purchased by calling (814) 272-1711 or by visiting the Ticket Office in person from 9 a.m. to the end of the game on gamedays Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to the end of the game on gamedays Saturday and Sunday. Fans can also buy and download single-game tickets by visiting StateCollegeSpikes.com.

Catch all of the action on Tuesday via the Spikes Radio Network, presented by Penn State Sports Medicine, Official Healthcare Provider of Penn State Athletics, at 6:35 p.m. with Spikes Live, presented by Mount Nittany Health, on the air from Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The Spikes' radio broadcast can also be heard worldwide through the "Listen Live" link on StateCollegeSpikes.com, provided by the club's flagship radio home, Newsradio 1390 WRSC, as well as the TuneIn Radio app.

Check out the State College Spikes Statistics



New York-Penn League Stories from July 30, 2018


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