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NYPL State College Spikes

State College Spikes Game Notes - July 8 vs. Connecticut

July 8, 2015 - New York-Penn League (NYPL)
State College Spikes News Release


Wednesday, July 8 - 7:05 p.m.

Medlar Field at Lubrano Park - University Park, PA

CONNECTICUT TIGERS - Detroit Tigers (9-8) at

STATE COLLEGE SPIKES - St. Louis Cardinals (8-9) 

Game #18 / Home Game #9

Starting Pitchers:

State College - LHP Ian McKinney (1-2, 4.58)

Connecticut - LHP Tyler Alexander (0-0, 0.00)

TONIGHT (7:05 vs. Connecticut): Half-Price Wednesday presented by BIG Froggy 101

TOMORROW NIGHT (7:05 vs. Connecticut): $1 Beer Thursday presented by 93.7 THE BUS...Live Music by StressBusters Entertainment

FRIDAY, JULY 10 (7:05 vs. Connecticut): FIREWORKS Night and Myrtle Beach Trip Giveaway (One Lucky Fan, 18 & Over) presented by VisitMyrtleBeach.com....4 for $44 Friday Northwest Family Value Ticket Package...Post-Game Kids Run the Bases presented by Clinical Outcomes Group, Inc.

SATURDAY, JULY 11 (7:05 vs. Tri-City): Military Appreciation Night pres. by Lion Country Kia & Centre Daily Times

-SPIKES FINDING MOMENTUM HEADING BACK HOME: After a 1-5 start, the State College Spikes have won seven of their last 11 and back-to-back series. Tonight, they return to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park after a rare off day on the New York-Penn League schedule to face the Connecticut Tigers. Connecticut is the first non-Pinckney Division opponent to venture into State College this season, and this evening's game starts a three-game series between the Spikes and the Tigers, which is also the first half of State College's six-game homestand. The Tri-City ValleyCats, who have been the Spikes' opponents in each of the last two NYPL Championship Series, come to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park Saturday through Monday. All-time, the Spikes are 11-15 against the Tigers, including a 5-6 record in games played at Medlar FIeld at Lubrano Park

-LAST GAME: Down 4-0 in the first inning, the Spikes used a season-high 15 hits, including R.J. Dennard's three-run double in the sixth inning that gave them the lead, to come back and defeat the Auburn Doubledays, 9-7, on Monday night at Falcon Park. Dennard stopped an 0-for-22 stretch with a single up the middle for his first pro hit in the second inning. The Armstrong State product then came up with the bases loaded in a tie game in the sixth and smashed a ball off the right-field wall to clear the bases. Carson Cross also stabilized the Spikes' mound efforts with three scoreless innings from the third through fifth, facing the minimum to earn the win. Cross yielded just one hit, but elicited a double play one batter later. Pedro Echemendia gave up one unearned run on two hits while striking out one for the save. The Spikes earned the win in front of legendary Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, who was on hand to see the first pro start of his son Mariano Rivera III for Auburn.

-McKINNEY MAKES START FOR SPIKES: Left-hander Ian McKinney makes the start on the mound tonight for State College. McKinney earned his first win of the season last Wednesday at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park when he allowed just one run on six hits and two walks to West Virginia. The Orlando, FL native went six innings and struck out four batters in the victory. McKinney also made a strong appearance on the mound on June 19, logging seven innings and allowing three runs in a quality start despite the loss. The fifth-round draft choice of the Cardinals in 2013, McKinney made two starts for the Spikes last season, once during the season's opening week and another on July 29 before going down with an injury. In between, the lefty twice won Appalachian League Pitcher of the Week honors for Rookie-level Johnson City.

-ALEXANDER GETS BALL FOR TIGERS: Left-hander Tyler Alexander gets his second professional start tonight for Connecticut. Alexander, a product of TCU, was selected by the Detroit Tigers in the second round of the 2015 MLB Draft after going 6-3 with a 3.07 ERA over 93 2/3 innings this past spring. The Southlake, TX native tallied four scoreless innings in his pro debut on Thursday at Lowell, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out four. The southpaw was coming off a start for TCU in its final College World Series game, an elimination contest against Vanderbilt, in which he went 2 1/3 innings and yielded three runs to take the loss.

-GRAYSON DELIVERING BIG NUMBERS: Casey Grayson has reached base in all 16 games he has played so far to post the longest active streak in the New York-Penn League. The University of Houston product now leads the NYPL in batting average with a .404 mark, and his .485 on-base percentage also tops the league.

-SPIKE MARKS: Harrison Bader was promoted to Single-A Peoria on Tuesday after just eight days with the Spikes, and went 1-for-3 while scoring the winning run in his Midwest League debut last night...Outfielder Orlando Olivera joined the Spikes from the GCL Cardinals to replace Bader...Olivera drove in 10 runs over 10 games in the GCL this year...Dailyn Martinez has not allowed an earned run over his last 13 innings of work

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