NYPL State College Spikes

Spikes' Class of 2019 Shines on Mound in 8-3 Win over Doubledays

Published on June 29, 2019 under New York-Penn League (NYPL)
State College Spikes News Release


UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - 2019 Cardinals draft choices Connor Thomas, Andre Pallante and Connor Lunn combined for eight strong innings on the mound, and the State College Spikes' bats bolstered the effort in an 8-3 victory over the Auburn Doubledays on Saturday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

With the win, the Spikes (10-5) regained the lead in the New York-Penn League Pinckney Division by a half-game over the Batavia Muckdogs (Miami Marlins).

Thomas, the Cards' fifth-round pick out of Georgia Tech, made his first professional start after earning the win in relief in his pro debut on Tuesday. The left-hander struck out six batters over four innings of work. Thomas also allowed two runs on five hits and a hit batsman.

Pallante (1-0), the fourth-round choice out of UC Irvine, followed and yielded one hit and one walk while striking out one batter over two innings to pick up the win in his professional debut.

Lunn, an 11th-round selection from USC, then retired all six batters he faced, four via strikeout, to continue the strong effort.

Lefty Fabian Blanco allowed a solo homer to Jake Randa in the ninth, his first, but allowed no more runs to finish off the game.

The Spikes' bats were also activated, with a five-run second supplying a lead that State College would never relinquish. Matt Duce went 3-for-4 with a double and scored three runs, while Martin Figueroa went 3-for-4 with two RBI. Carlos Soto also helped the cause by going 2-for-4 with three RBI, including two on a double in the second.

Dariel Gomez and Andrew Warner also added multi-hit performances for the Spikes, with Gomez knocking in a run and Warner scoring one.

Auburn (6-8) saw its four-game winning streak come to an end one game after stopping the Spikes' five-game home win streak. Starter Pedro Gonzalez (0-3) allowed five runs on six hits while striking out one batter over 1 2/3 innings. The effort marked Gonzalez's second straight start against State College without getting past the second inning.

The Spikes will finish their three-game series against the Doubledays with a rubber match on Sunday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The 6:05 p.m. game will feature right-hander Scott Politz (0-0), a 2019 29th-round draft choice out of Yale, making his second start of the year for State College. Auburn will go with right-hander Carlos Romero (0-1) on the hill.

Sunday night will be a big night for fans, starting with Party Like It's 1999 Night featuring a special appearance by Chris Owen, who portrayed The Shermanator in the American Pie series of films that started in 1999. In addition, fans are encouraged to clear out their office space and bring their old printers for an Office Printer Donation Drive, guaranteed to make sure you never get a "PC Load Letter" error again.

After the game, the skies will light up with a spectacular FIREWORKS show, presented by the PA Lottery.

Plus, it's First Responders Appreciation Night as fans can join the Spikes in saluting our local police, fire and EMS departments for the life-saving work they do in our community. The night will include tributes throughout the night, as well as vehicle displays on the concourse and a First Responders parade before the game.

It's also a Sunday Kids Day presented by First National Bank, with a pre-game catch on the field and the first 250 kids ages 12 and under eating and playing for free with a voucher good for a free hot dog, chips and small soda and a one-time free-play pass for Ike's Kids Zone. The night concludes with Kids Run the Bases after the FIREWORKS display.

Tickets for Sunday's game, as well as every game on the 2019 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, 10 a.m. to the end of the game on gamedays Saturday and Sunday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on non-gamedays Monday through Friday.

Fans can also buy and download single-game tickets by visiting StateCollegeSpikes.com.

Catch all of the action on Sunday via the Spikes Radio Network, presented by Penn State Sports Medicine, Official Healthcare Provider of Penn State Athletics, at 5:35 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.

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New York-Penn League Stories from June 29, 2019


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