Spikes defeat Jammers to force Game Three

STATE COLLEGE, PA - Carson Kelly delivered a solo home run and brought in three runs total while Michael Schulze collected four hits to help the State College Spikes beat the Jamestown Jammers, 12-4, on Saturday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park and send the New York-Penn League Semifinal Series to a third and final game on Sunday.

The Spikes and Jammers, now tied at 1-1 in their best-of-three series, will meet at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Sunday night at 7:05 p.m. in the deciding game of the Semifinal Series, with the winner to meet the Tri-City ValleyCats in the NYPL Championship Series starting on Tuesday night in Troy, NY.

Kelly's homer to left field in the fifth inning gave the Spikes a 5-3 lead, and his two-run double in the sixth helped break the game wide open. Schulze knocked in a pair of runs and scored one as he became the first State College player to collect four hits in a postseason game.

Luke Voit tied a Spikes club record by walking four times in one game, and added a single in the sixth to reach base five times on the night. Cesar Valera also had a productive night, notching two hits, including a double, and a stolen base while reaching base four times.

The Spikes bounced back from an early 2-0 deficit to take the lead for good on Schulze's RBI single in the third inning, and scored in all but two frames on the night.

Chase Brookshire (1-0) earned the win in relief for State College as he yielded two runs, one earned, on five hits while striking out four batters over 3 1/3 innings. Starter Jimmy Reed was limited to three innings on the mound, and gave up two runs on five hits and two walks. Reed struck out five batters, though, as the Spikes staff recorded a season-high 15 strikeouts on the evening.

Jamestown starter Dovydas Neverauskas (0-1) took the loss after allowing four runs on six hits and two walks over 2 2/3 innings. Neverauskas, who struck out three in the effort, was the only one of the Jammers' five pitchers during the night to go longer than 2 1/3 innings on the hill.

State College will now hand the ball to right-hander Andrew Pierce for the climactic Game Three on Sunday night. Pierce has not allowed a run in 11 innings over three appearances against the Jammers this year. Jamestown will go with left-hander Cody Dickson on the mound for the deciding contest of the series. Dickson has made two starts against the Spikes, allowing three runs, two earned, over ten innings without recording a decision.

Single-game tickets for Sunday's game as well as all potential Spikes home playoff games are now on sale at State College Spikes.com and through the Spikes Box Office at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The Spikes Box Office is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on home gamedays from 9 a.m. through the end of the game. Fans can visit the Spikes Box Office in person or call (814) 272-1711 or toll-free (877) 99-SPIKES.

Individual playoff game tickets are also available for individual NYPL Championship Series games. Championship Series game tickets will be for Games C and D until dates and times are known. Single-game playoff ticket prices will be the same as regular season prices.

Parking procedures for Sunday's game will return to the standard gameday format, with parking available to the public in Jordan East/Lot 44 for a $3 fee, and the Porter North lot fully open to all VIP pass holders.

For complete Spikes playoff information, visit "Playoff Central" at State College Spikes.com.

Catch all of the action on Sunday via the Spikes Radio Network, presented by Penn State Sports Medicine, at 6:35 p.m. with Spikes Live, presented by Mount Nittany Health, on the air from Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The Spikes' radio broadcast can also be heard worldwide through the "Listen Live" link on StateCollegeSpikes.com, provided by 95.3 FM 3WZ.