Spikes make history in win over Doubledays
AUBURN, NY - The State College Spikes tied a franchise record with 20 hits and used an eight-run second inning to launch their offensive barrage in a 12-1 win over the Auburn Doubledays on Friday night at Falcon Park.
The Spikes (4-1) had reached the 20-hit mark on two previous occasions, with the first coming on August 8, 2008 against the Williamsport Crosscutters and the second on July 12, 2010 against the Vermont Lake Monsters. Both of the previous record-setting peformances came at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
State College also got a superb pitching effort amidst the offensive fireworks, led by the Cardinals' 2013 ninth-round draft choice, Nick Petree. Petree started and tossed four scoreless innings in his professional debut, allowing three hits and striking out three in his time on the mound.
Mitch Harris (1-0) followed Petree on the mound and earned his first professional win in the process. The Navy man went 1 1/3 innings and gave up just one unearned run on a hit and a walk.
State College collected almost half of its hits in the second inning alone, coming up just one run shy of the team record for runs scored in an inning. Ronald Castillo and Carson Kelly started the inning off with back-to-back singles, and Matthew Young smashed a double to center field to get the Spikes on the board. Adam Lewis, playing his first Spikes game, then drove in Kelly with a sacrifice fly to center to make it 2-0.
After Brian Vigo was hit by a pitch in his first pro plate appearance, Jimmy Bosco knocked in another run with a double and Michael Schulze followed with a two-run double to extend the State College lead to 5-0. Bruce Caldwell's single added another run, with David Washington's double one batter later bringing him in to make it 7-0. Castillo then finished off the scoring in the second with his second hit of the frame to bring in another run.
The eight runs were the most ever for the Spikes in the second inning of a game.
From there, State College kept stockpiling hits and putting runs up one at a time. Three walks and a Young fielder's choice scored a run in the fourth inning to make it 9-0, Spikes. In the fifth, Bosco led off with a double and scored on Caldwell's sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 10-0. Trevor Martin then put the exclamation point on the proceedings with a solo shot to left in the ninth that gave State College its first home run of the year.
Auburn (2-3) scored its only run of the game in the sixth inning when Wilmer Difo reached base on an error and came around to score on a Jimmy Yezzo single.
Seven Spikes produced multiple hits in the game, including Martin, who came on in a pinch-hitting role in the seventh inning. Bosco, Castillo and Kelly all notched three hits, with Bosco contributing two doubles before being lifted in the sixth inning. Castillo also collected his trio of base knocks in less than a full game after leaving in the seventh inning for a pinch-hitter.
The Doubledays cycled through five pitchers in the game, including catcher Erick Fernandez, who recorded the final out in the top of the ninth inning. Auburn starter Reynaldo Lopez (0-1) took the loss after yielding seven runs on seven hits and one hit batsman over just 1 1/3 innings.
Yezzo and Cody Gunter each had multi-hit games for the Doubledays.
The victory clinched the Spikes' second straight series victory to start the year. State College has never before started a year 4-1.
Saturday, the Spikes and Doubledays finish off their three-game set with a 6:05 p.m. matchup at Falcon Park. State College will turn to a "piggyback" tandem of two right-handers each making their first pro appearances to handle the mound chores at the beginning of the game. Andrew Pierce (0-0), the eighth-round draft choice of the Cardinals in 2013 out of Southern Miss, will start the game. Arturo Reyes, the Cardinals' 40th-round draft pick from Gonzaga this year, will then follow Pierce.
The Spikes will face the first left-handed starting pitcher for the opposition this year as southpaw Kylin Turnbull (1-0) gets the ball for Auburn. Turnbull earned the win on Monday for the Doubledays against Batavia.
After the excursion to Auburn, the Spikes come back to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for a three-game set against the Jamestown Jammers (Pittsburgh Pirates) starting with a 6:05 p.m. contest on Sunday, June 23. It will be a Family Fireworks Funday at the park as First National Bank presented a fantastic post-game FIREWORKS show. The Spikes will also be helping make miracles happen on Children's Miracle Network Night, with special bats autographed by the Spikes up for bids in a Children's Miracle Network Bat Auction throughout the night.
Prior to the game, fans get to know the Spikes up close and personal at the free team autograph session, then play catch on the field from 4:45 to 5:30 p.m. After the game, kids can run the bases after the game thanks to Clinical Outcomes Group, Inc.
Tickets for Sunday's game, as well as every Spikes home game on the 2013 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.
Catch all of the action on Saturday via the Spikes Radio Network, presented by Penn State Sports Medicine, at 5:50 p.m. with Spikes Live, presented by Mount Nittany Health, on the air from Falcon Park. The Spikes' radio broadcast can also be heard worldwide through the "Listen Live" link on StateCollegeSpikes.com, provided by 95.3 FM 3WZ.