NYPL State College Spikes

Holmes Impresses in Debut as Spikes Shut out Scrappers, 4-0

Published on June 22, 2012 under New York-Penn League (NYPL)
State College Spikes News Release


STATE COLLEGE, PA - Clay Holmes led the way with five scoreless innings in his professional debut on the mound as the State College Spikes posted their second straight shutout win in a 4-0 victory over the Mahoning Valley Scrappers on Friday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

Holmes (1-0) combined with Tom Harlan and Emmanuel De Leon (1) to hold Mahoning Valley (2-3) to just five hits and two walks while posting 12 strikeouts as a staff. The ninth-round selection of the Pirates in the 2011 MLB Draft, Holmes made the start and yielded three of those hit and a walk while striking out five to earn the win. Harlan followed with four strikeouts over 1 2/3 innings, giving up a hit and a walk, and De Leon picked up the save with 2 1/3 one-hit frames to finish the night.

The win marked the first time that State College (3-2) shut out opponents in back-to-back games since June 24 and 25, 2010 against Auburn and Mahoning Valley, respectively. The pair of 2010 shutout wins formed part of a team record 26-inning scoreless streak.

The Spikes took their first lead of the game in the second inning, when Raul Fortunato and D.J. Crumlich led off with consecutive singles. Samuel Gonzalez followed with a sacrifice fly to make it a 1-0 game. Jacob Stallings then doubled in two runs in the third inning to extend the lead, and Barrett Barnes closed the scoring by driving in Chris Diaz in the seventh.

Jodaneli Carvajal produced another stellar offensive night, going 2-for-4 and scoring a run. Carvajal is now hitting .529 (9-for-17) with a .619 on-base percentage for the season. Barnes and Fortunato also contributed multi-hit performances, with Barnes adding two stolen bases.

Robbie Aviles (0-1) started and took the loss for the Scrappers after giving up three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out one over four innings of work.

Saturday, the Spikes and Scrappers meet at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for the second game of their three-game weekend series. Right-hander Jason Creasy (0-1) will make his second start of the year for State College, while left-hander Geoffrey Davenport (0-0) gets the start for Mahoning Valley.

Fans will be sure to enjoy the antics of Team GhostRiders as the Cowboy Monkey Rodeo makes its return to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, presented by Metzger Animal Hospital. The tandems of monkeys and dogs will perform between-inning skits during the game, and fans can get an up-close look at the performers after the game.

Plus, every fan is a winner on Scratch N' Win Saturday, as all fans will receive a scratch n' win card with a great Spikes prize on it, and kids can run the bases after the game thanks to Clinical Outcomes Group, Inc. on a Spikes Student All-Stars Night.

Tickets for Saturday's game, as well as every Spikes regular season home game in 2012, are currently on sale through the Spikes Box Office by calling (814) 272-1711 or by visiting in person. Fans can also buy and print single-game tickets by visiting StateCollegeSpikes.com.

Catch all of the action on Saturday via the Spikes Radio Network, presented by Penn State Sports Medicine, at 6:35 p.m. with the Spikes GameDay Show live from the concourse behind home plate 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.

Check out the State College Spikes Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



New York-Penn League Stories from June 22, 2012


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central