NYPL State College Spikes

State College Spikes Game Notes - August 14 vs. Mahoning Valley

Published on August 14, 2014 under New York-Penn League (NYPL)
State College Spikes News Release


Thursday, August 14 - 7:05 p.m.

Medlar Field at Lubrano Park - State College, PA

MAHONING VALLEY SCRAPPERS - Cleveland Indians (25-33) at

STATE COLLEGE SPIKES - St. Louis Cardinals (34-25)

Game #60 / Home Game #32

Starting Pitchers:

State College - LHP Austin Gomber (0-2, 3.12)

Mahoning Valley - RHP Juan Santana (0-6, 4.89)

TONIGHT (7:05 vs. Mahoning Valley): $1 Beer Night presented by 93.7 THE BUS...FIREWORKS Night and Ladies Night featuring Confer's Jewlers Diamond Dash presented by Circulatory Centers and MAJIC 99...College Student 3-2-1 Night

AUGUST 21 & 28: $1 Beer Night presented by 93.7 THE BUS, Wing Specials and FIREWORKS

FOUR-GAME PLAYOFF PACKS GO ON SALE TO THE PUBLIC - MONDAY, AUGUST 18, 9 A.M.

-SPIKES LOOK FOR SERIES VICTORY: The State College Spikes are back to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park tonight for the rubber match of a three-game series against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. The Spikes lead the New York-Penn League Pinckney Division by six games over Batavia, while Mahoning Valley sits in sixth place, 8 1/2 games back. State College has a magic number of 13 to clinch their second consecutive Pinckney Division title. The Spikes have won four of seven matchups against the Scrappers this season. All-time, State College is 42-45 against the Scrappers, but holds a 27-17 mark in games played at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

-LAST GAME: Alex De Leon finished just a triple shy of the cycle as he smashed his eight home run of the year and knocked in three runs to key the State College Spikes' 5-4 victory over the Mahoning Valley Scrappers on Wednesday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

The win ended a season-long six-game string of losses for the Spikes. De Leon brought in a run with each of his first three hits, including a first-inning double and right-inning single. The Kansas product then went deep to the Pepsi Picnic Pavilion in left field in the fifth inning with a solo shot to stake the Spikes to a 5-1 lead.

Collin Radack also collected three hits, two of them on groundballs that he beat out for infield singles. Luis Cruz plated a run for State College right after De Leon's single in the third with a base hit of his own. Danny Diekroeger's sacrifice fly in the fourth scored the other Spikes run.

Dewin Perez earned his third straight win on the mound for the Spikes, going 5 1/3 innings and yielding three runs on seven hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out one. Kyle Grana pitched a hitless, scoreless ninth for his fifth save of the year.

-SPIKES GO TO GOMBER ON THE MOUND: Left-hander Austin Gomber makes his eighth start as a professional for the Spikes tonight. Last time out, Gomber went a career-long five innings and allowed three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out four in a no-decision at Lowell. The Florida Atlantic product holds a 2.65 ERA in four home starts this year, and is holding batters to a .182 average with runners in scoring position. The Cardinals' 2014 fourth-round draft choice has a 7.71 ERA in the second inning this year, but a 1.42 ERA in all other innings.

-SCRAPPERS SEND SANTANA TO HILL: Right-hander Juan Santana makes his 11th start with Mahoning Valley tonight. Santana previously faced the Spikes on June 29 at Eastwood Field, and saw his outing cut short after 3 2/3 innings due to a Jake Stone liner that came back and hit him in the right arm. The Gaspar Hernandez, Dominican Republic native had allowed six runs on seven hits and five walks to that point in the game. Santana has gone a maximum of five innings on the mound this season, a mark he has reached on five occasions. Last year, the righty went 4-2 with a 4.33 ERA in 12 appearances (11 starts) with the Arizona League Indians.

-FOUR SPIKES TABBED FOR NYPL ALL-STAR GAME: Four State College Spikes players will be featured in the New York-Penn League All-Star Game on Tuesday, August 19, as announced by the league on Saturday. Shortstop Robelys Reyes and second baseman Darren Seferina will join pitchers Will Anderson and Kyle Grana on the South team for the NYPL's 10th annual Midsummer Classic at MCU Park in Brooklyn, NY.

-SPIKES, CARDINALS EXTEND PDC THROUGH 2016: The State College Spikes today announced a two-year extension of their Player Development Contract (PDC) with the defending National League champion St. Louis Cardinals. The newly-announced extension maintains the affiliation between the Spikes and Cardinals through the 2016 New York-Penn League season. On the field, the affiliation with St. Louis has been a major success for the Spikes franchise, as Cardinals' teams have produced the only two winning seasons in Spikes history (2006 and 2013) as well as the club's lone Division Championship and appearance in the 2013 NYPL Championship Series.

-SPIKE MARKS: Kyle Grana's 13.78 strikeouts per nine innings are second-most among NYPL relievers, and his 50 total whiffs are tied for fifth-most among all NYPL pitchers...Will Anderson is still third in the league with a 2.31 ERA...Robelys Reyes has struck out once every 11.44 plate appearances, the third-best rate in the league...Alex De Leon is second in the league in runs scored with 37...Brian O'Keefe leads the NYPL with 12 times hit by pitch, just eight back of Tyler Gaffney's team record set in 2012

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