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NYPL State College Spikes

State College Spikes Game Notes - August 29 vs. Auburn

August 29, 2015 - New York-Penn League (NYPL)
State College Spikes News Release


Saturday, August 29 - 7:05 p.m.

Medlar Field at Lubrano Park - University Park, PA

AUBURN DOUBLEDAYS - Washington Nationals (29-35) at

STATE COLLEGE SPIKES - St. Louis Cardinals (34-31)

Game #66 / Home Game #33

Starting Pitchers:

State College - RHP Josh Wirsu (0-1, 3.60)

Auburn - RHP Jefry Rodriguez (3-5, 4.81)

TONIGHT (7:05 p.m. vs. Auburn): Back to School Bash...Spikes School Kit Giveaway (First 1,000 Kids)...Mifflin & Juniata County Night presented by The Sentinel, part of Community Nights series presented by CATACOMMUTE...FREE Kids Zone! presented by Friends of Jake Corman...Scratch n' Win Saturday presented by P.J. Harrigan's...Lion Country Kia Plinko...Post-Game Kids Run the Bases presented by Clinical Outcomes Group, Inc....College 3-2-1 Special

WEDNESDAY NIGHT (7:05 p.m. vs. Batavia): Half-Price Wednesday presented by BIG Froggy 101...PSU Homecoming Night...Back to the Future Night...Tech Night...Post-Game Kids Run the Bases presented by Clinical Outcomes Group, Inc....College 3-2-1 Special

PLAYOFF PACKS NOW AVAILABLE AT (814) 272-1711 AND AT SPIKES BOX OFFICE - The Hunt Reloaded presented by Lion Country Kia, HRI and the Central PA Convention & Visitors Bureau

-SPIKES LOOK TO GET BACK ON TRACK AGAINST DOUBLEDAYS: The State College Spikes, who now find themselves trailing West Virginia by just a half-game in the New York-Penn League Wild Card race, continue their 10th Season this evening with the opener of a three-game series against the Auburn Doubledays at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. State College dropped two of three meetings at home against Auburn from June 22-24, but rebounded to take two of three games from the Doubledays at Falcon Park from July 4-6. All-time, the Spikes are 50-48 against the Doubledays, with a 25-25 home record.

-LAST GAME: The Spikes overcame a 4-0 deficit and came all the way back to draw within a half-game of the New York-Penn League Wild Card lead with a 5-4 defeat of the Auburn Doubledays on Friday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. State College started its rally when Leobaldo Pina doubled to left field to score a pair of runs in the fifth inning. Orlando Olivera then led off the sixth inning with a triple, and scored on Ronnierd Garcia's sacrifice fly to draw the Spikes within one. In the eighth inning, the Spikes completed their comeback. Jose Godoy doubled off the right-field wall to tie the game, and after two runners were thrown out at the plate trying to score the go-ahead run, a bases-loaded wild pitch scored Garcia to give State College the lead for good. Kevin Alexander earned the win in relief with 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Pedro Echemendia earned the save with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

-WIRSU STARTS FOR SPIKES TONIGHT: State College right-hander Josh Wirsu gets his second start with the club tonight. Wirsu took the loss on Monday in Williamsport, allowing three runs, two earned, on three hits and two walks over five innings. However, the Georgia Southern product struck out three batters and did not allow a run after the first. Wirsu began the season with two scoreless innings for Single-A Peoria on June 17 before heading to Rookie-level Johnson City, where the 30th-round draft choice of the Cardinals in 2014 went 1-1 with a 3.50 ERA over three starts in August.

-RODRIGUEZ GOES TO HILL FOR AUBURN: Auburn right-hander Jefry Rodriguez will make his 13th start of the season tonight for the Doubledays. Rodriguez earned the win on Monday against Mahoning Valley after giving up two runs on six hits and a walk over six innings. The Haina, Dominican Republic native also struck out four batters in the effort. Rodriguez has four quality starts of six innings or more with three earned runs or less this year, but has not yet faced the Spikes. The righty made three starts for Auburn last year before missing the remainder of the season from July 1 onward.

-MARTIN EARNS PRESTIGIOUS AWARD: Spikes Athletic Trainer Dan Martin has been named the New York-Penn League Athletic Trainer of the Year by the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS). The award is given annually to one member of each of the 16 leagues in Minor League Baseball, as well as one award for the Dominican Summer League, with an additional award is given to the Minor League Coordinator of the Year. Martin is now eligible for the Minor League Trainer of the Year award as well, which will be given at the 2015 Winter Meetings in Nashville, TN.

-GRAYSON GOING BACK TO THE TOP: Spikes infielder Casey Grayson hit his first homer of the season on Wednesday, three days after notching his first triple of the year. Grayson, who is tied for the team lead in doubles with 15, is now fourth in the New York-Penn League in batting average with a .313 mark, and his .421 on-base percentage is second in the league. Grayson is also tied for second in the NYPL with 66 hits, and is second in the loop with 40 walks.

-SPIKE MARKS: Pedro Echemendia is tied for first in the NYPL with 23 appearances, and is fourth in saves with 10...Echemendia also leads the Spikes with five wins on the mound, and his 10 saves are the most for any Spikes pitcher since Ronald Uviedo posted a franchise record 12 saves in 2007 ...Mike Pritchard is tied for third in the NYPL with 38 runs scored, and has struck out just once every 10.38 plate appearances, the second-best ratio in the league...Luke Harrison has walked just 0.95 batters per nine innings, the best mark among NYPL relief pitchers

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