Sports stats



NYPL State College Spikes

State College Spikes Game Notes - June 23 vs. Auburn

June 23, 2015 - New York-Penn League (NYPL)
State College Spikes News Release


Tuesday, June 23 - 7:05 p.m.

Medlar Field at Lubrano Park - University Park, PA

AUBURN DOUBLEDAYS - Washington Nationals (3-1) at 

STATE COLLEGE SPIKES - St. Louis Cardinals (1-3)

Game #5 / Home Game #3

Starting Pitchers:

State College - RHP Landon Beck (0-0, 0.00)

Auburn - RHP Joan Baez (0-0, 0.00)

TONIGHT (7:05 vs. Auburn): New York-Penn League Championship T-Shirt Giveaway (First 500 Fans, All Ages) presented by ServiceMaster by Holobinko & Merry Maids...part of T-Shirt Tuesday series presented by The B94.5...National Penn Bank Books & Baseball Night

TOMORORW NIGHT (7:05 vs. Auburn): Half-Price Wednesday presented by BIG Froggy 101

THURSDAY, July 2 (7:05 vs. West Virginia): Bark in the Park presented by Metzger Animal Hospital & Happy 103

-SPIKES LOOK FOR FIRST SERIES WIN OF YEAR VS. DOUBLEDAYS:The State College Spikes continue to seek to become the first team since the Staten Island Yankees of 2005-06 to successfully defend its NYPL crown, but also look to notch their first series win of the year as they face the previously unbeaten Auburn Doubledays. Auburn swept Batavia in three straight road games to begin the season. The Spikes are 47-44 all-time against Auburn, and are 24-22 against the Doubledays at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

-LAST GAME: Brian O'Keefe homered to begin the scoring, and Danny Martin became the sixth State College Spikes player to triple twice in one game as the Spikes defeated the Auburn Doubledays, 6-2, to crack the win column for the first time in the 2015 season. O'Keefe's home run, a two-run shot off Auburn starter Matthew Crownover in the second inning, put the Spikes out in front for good. State College followed with two more runs in the third on a Casey Grayson RBI single and a double by Ronnierd Garcia. Martin then delivered a historic performance, tripling in both the fourth and sixth innings to match a feat previously achieved by Elevys Gonzalez, Taylor Lewis, Kirk Singer, Jodaneli Carvajal and Tyler Gaffney. Both of the Azusa Pacific product's three-base hits knocked in Elier Rodriguez to bolster the Spikes' lead.

-BECK GETS BALL IN FIRST START FOR SPIKES: Right-hander Landon Beck gets the ball tonight for State College in his first tart of 2015 and second pitching appearance. The Cardinals' 2014 25th-round draft choice tossed a perfect eighth inning on Friday during Opening Night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, needing just eight pitches to finish the frame. Beck helped lead Johnson City to the Appalachian League title last year in his debut pro season, going 1-1 with a 3.19 ERA over 13 appearances, eight of them starts, in the regular season. The Anderson University (SC) product also started Game 2 of the Appalachian League semifinals for Johnson City, going five innings in a no-decision.

-BAEZ GOES TO MOUND FOR AUBURN: Right-hander Joan Baez will make the start for the Doubledays tonight. Baez was previously at Single-A Hagerstown before the start of the New York-Penn League season, but logged an 11.32 ERA over three starts. The righty spent last season splitting time between the Gulf Coast League Nationals and Dominican Summer League Cardinals, going 1-3 with a 3.78 ERA in four GCL appearances and 4-1 with a 1.15 ERA in 11 DSL starts. A native of San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, Baez signed with the Nationals as a free agent in 2014.

-THAT CHAMPIONSHIP FEELING: Nine players who appeared for the Spikes during last year's championship season return to the club at the dawn of the 2015 season. Friday's starting pitcher, Ian McKinney, is joined by fellow returning hurlers Tyler Bray, Dailyn Martinez and Kender Villegas on the Opening Day staff. The Spikes also welcome back catcher Brian O'Keefe, infielders Ronnierd Garcia and Leobaldo PIna, and outfielders Jhohan Acevedo and Kenny Peoples-Walls from the 2014 squad. Meanwhile, manager Johnny Rodriguez leads a group of seven players who played for the 2014 Johnson City club, including McKinney, Martinez and infielders Casey Grayson and Cole Lankford, among others.

-RIVERA BRINGS FAMOUS NAME TO STATE COLLEGE: Right-handed pitcher Mariano Rivera, Jr., the son of the legendary Yankees closer, joined the Doubledays for this series after being drafted in the fourth round by the Nationals this year. The Iona College product was also selected by the Yankees in the 29th round of the 2014 MLB Draft, but chose not to sign. Rivera set an Iona record with 113 strikeouts this past spring while going 5-7 with a 2.65 ERA over 85 innings.

-SPIKE MARKS: Friday's Opening Night crowd of 5,921 trailed only the 6,066 fans at the regular season home finale on August 30, 2014 for the largest crowd in franchise history...The Spikes also welcomed 5,801 fans to last year's Home Opener...Auburn was 12-for-36 at the plate with runners in scoring position entering last night's game...The Doubledays were 2-for-11 in the same situation last night...Danny Martin now leads the NYPL in walks (5) and triples (2)

Check out the State College Spikes Statistics



New York-Penn League Stories from June 23, 2015


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central