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NYPL State College Spikes

Spikes' Late Surge Leads to 14-3 Rout

August 21, 2014 - New York-Penn League (NYPL)
State College Spikes News Release


STATE COLLEGE, PA - Brian O'Keefe reached base five times and keyed a pair of huge innings as the State College Spikes scored seven runs in the sixth inning and six more in the seventh to defeat the Auburn Doubledays, 14-3, on Thursday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

The win enabled the Spikes (39-26) to lower their magic number for a second consecutive New York-Penn League Pinckney Division title to three, and ensured them of the third winning season in franchise history. All three of State College's winning years have come with the St. Louis Cardinals as a major league affiliate.

Trailing 3-0 after four innings, the Spikes started their comeback when Nick Thompson's RBI single in the fifth brought in Kenny Peoples-Walls. State College's big push started in the sixth, as four hits, two walks, a hit batsman, and two errors added up to a seven-run frame.

Collin Radack knocked in the first State College run of the inning with an RBI single to begin his big night. Danny Diekroeger then landed another big hit with a two-run single to extend his hitting streak to 15 games, the longest such string for a Spikes player this season. Jake Stone then added a 2-run double, while O'Keefe capped the sixth-inning scoring with an RBI single.

In the seventh, Radack produced a pair of doubles, with the second scoring another State College run, as part of a three-hit game. O'Keefe also collected an RBI double to complete a 3-for-3 night that included two times hit by pitch to raise his season total to a league-leading 14.

Stone knocked in his third run of the night with a double in the seventh, while Brett Wiley brought in two runs with a single.

In all, the Spikes produced 16 hits, with each hitter in the lineup notching at least one.

State College reliever Brandon Lee (3-2) got the win after tossing three scoreless innings in which he gave up three hits while striking out three. Starter Austin Gomber allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out one over four innings of work. Kyle Grana finished the game with two shutout frames for the Spikes, with his strikeout in the eighth running his total to 53, fifth-best in the NYPL.

Auburn (27-36) reliever Deion Williams (1-3) took the loss after being tagged for four runs, three of them earned, in 1/3 of an inning. Williams gave up just one hit, but walked two batters and hit one.

Jose Marmolejos and Austin Davidson each produced three hits for the Doubledays, with Davidson plating two runs and Marmolejos the other.

The Spikes will now seek to clinch a division title on the road as they begin a five-game swing through the western side of the Pinckney Division. State College will visit Jamestown and Mahoning Valley during the road trip, starting with a 7:05 p.m. matchup against the Jammers on Friday at Russell Diethrick Park. The Spikes will send right-hander Daniel Poncedeleon (1-3) to the mound to face Jamestown right-hander Alex McRae (3-4).

Following the road trip, the Spikes will begin a four-game homestand, the last of the 2014 regular season, on Wednesday, August 27. The homestand will run until Saturday, August 30, and include the Coach Franklin Bobblehead Giveaway to the first 1,000 fans on Thursday, August 28, presented by The Nittany Lion Inn & The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel and ESPN Radio 1450, as well as a pair of FIREWORKS shows.

Tickets for the final four home dates remaining on the Spikes' 2014 regular season home slate 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.

In addition, fans can purchase Four-Game Playoff Packs in anticipation of potential Spikes home games during the 2014 NYPL playoffs. Four-Game Playoff Packs start as low as just $16 per seat and include a $2 per game savings off the single-game price. In addition, each seat purchased as part of a Four-Game Playoff Pack will come with a free, limited-edition 2014 Spikes playoff t-shirt while supplies last.

Four-Game Playoff Packs can be purchased at the Spikes Box Office by calling (814) 272-1711 or by visiting in person. Fans will also have the opportunity to reserve their Playoff Packs online at State College Spikes.com in the near future.

Catch all of the action on Friday via the Spikes Radio Network, presented by Penn State Sports Medicine, at 6:50 p.m. with Spikes Live, presented by Mount Nittany Health, on the air from Russell Diethrick Park. The Spikes' radio broadcast can also be heard worldwide through the "Listen Live" link on StateCollegeSpikes.com, provided by 95.3 FM 3WZ, and on the 3WZ mobile apps, available on Google Play and the App Store.

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New York-Penn League Stories from August 21, 2014


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