Spikes top Jammers, 6-4, trim magic number to one

STATE COLLEGE, PA - The State College Spikes trailed 4-0 after 4 ½ innings on Friday night, but scored in each of the last four frames to beat the Jamestown Jammers, 6-4, in front of 5,068 fans at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park for the regular season home finale.

State College (45-25) reduced its magic number for a playoff berth to one, meaning that one Spikes win or one Lowell loss over the next five games punches a ticket to the New York-Penn League playoffs.

In addition, the Spikes' magic number for a Pinckney Division title and the top overall seed in the playoffs is also one, as the Spikes have clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker against Jamestown (41-29) and Tri-City for the respective honors.

With the win, the Spikes also finished their 2013 regular season home slate with a 30-8 record, the best in club history and in the New York-Penn League this year.

Michael Schulze helped lead the State College charge with a 3-for-4 night. Schulze also scored the Spikes' first run in the fifth inning as State College took advantage of the first of four Jammers errors. The Spikes did more damage in the sixth inning with Schulze's RBI single and Jimmy Bosco's RBI groundout to draw within a run at 4-3.

Mason Katz's two-out, two-run double in the seventh inning gave State College its first lead of the night at 5-4, and Luke Voit produced a run-scoring double in the eighth for the insurance run.

Spikes starter Jimmy Reed saw his scoreless innings streak snapped at 14 when Jamestown got on the board in the third inning. Reed went 4 2/3 innings on the mound, allowing all Jammers runs, but just one earned run, on eight hits and a walk while striking out three.

Reliever Victor DeLeon (5-2) earned the win with 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, yielding just two hits while striking out four. Jacob Booden (3) pitched a perfect ninth inning to pick up the save.

Steven Ramos added two more hits to his league-leading total for State College, and boosted his batting average to .357, still the best mark in the NYPL.

Andrew Otamendi (2-2) took the loss in relief for Jamestown after allowing three runs on three hits, a walk and a hit batsman over two innings of work. Otamendi also recorded two strikeouts. Jammers starter Chad Kuhl allowed just one unearned run over five innings. Kuhl gave up seven hits while striking out seven batters.

Prior to the game, the Spikes announced their season-ending award winners. First baseman David Washington won the Spikes Most Valuable Player Award, while right-hander Nick Petree earned the Spikes Pitcher of the Year Award. Right-handed pitcher Mitch Harris was named the Spikes Leadership Award winner, presented by the Spikes Booster Club.

Saturday, the Spikes begin a five-game road trip to end the regular season when they face the Auburn Doubledays (Washington Nationals) in a 6:05 p.m. matchup at Falcon Park. The Spikes hold a 7-1 edge in the season series, and are scheduled to send right-hander Kevin Herget (6-0) to the mound. Herget is bidding to become the first Spikes pitcher ever to start a season 7-0. Auburn will go with left-hander Joel Barrientos (1-5) on the hill.

Fans can now purchase Four-Game Playoff Packs, as well as individual playoff game tickets, in anticipation of potential Spikes' home games during the 2013 NYPL playoffs.  Four-Game Playoff Packs start as low as just $16 per seat and include a $2 per game savings off the single-game price. In addition, each seat purchased as part of a Four-Game Playoff Pack will come with a free, limited edition 2013 Spikes playoff t-shirt while supplies last.

Individual playoff game tickets are available for each of the four potential home playoff games, which will be sold as Games A, B, C and D until exact dates are known. Single-game playoff ticket prices will be the same as regular season prices. 

Four-Game Playoff Packs and individual playoff game tickets will also be able to be purchased at the Spikes Box Office by calling (814) 272-1711 or by visiting in person. Fans can also reserve their Playoff Packs online at State College Spikes.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.