Schumacher's strong start leads Spikes to 4-1 win
STATE COLLEGE, PA - Cody Schumacher pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings and allowed just one hit for his first professional win as the Spikes topped the Brooklyn Cyclones, 4-1, on Thursday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Schumacher (1-0), the St. Louis Cardinals' 36th-round draft choice this year out of Missouri State, faced the minimum 15 batters through the first five innings, then yielded two walks before leaving the mound. Tomas Nido's third-inning single was the only Brooklyn (15-12) hit against Schumacher, but the righty forced a double play one batter later to end the inning.
The St. Louis, MO native also struck out seven over his time on the mound as the Spikes (19-8) recorded 12 strikeouts as a staff on the night.
State College bolstered Schumacher's efforts with timely offense. Nick Thompson doubled in the second inning, and scored the game's first run on Jake Stone's RBI single. In the fifth, the Spikes scored three times, with Robelys Reyes's triple starting the surge. Reyes crossed the plate on Danny Diekroeger's sacrifice fly to center, then Alex De Leon's single led to Rowan Wick's RBI double.
Wick upped his RBI total to a New York-Penn League-leading 31 in the Spikes' first 27 games.
Thompson drove in the last Spikes run with an infield single to score Wick, part of a three-hit performance on the night. Darren Seferina also collected two hits, including a double, for State College.
Trey Nielsen tossed 2 1/3 innings of relief and allowed the Cyclones' only run on one hit while striking out three. Joe Scanio (1) earned the save in his first appearance for the Spikes with a perfect ninth inning.
Brooklyn starter Casey Meisner (0-2) took the loss after yielding three runs on six hits, two walks and a hit batsman. Meisner struck out six over 4 2/3 innings of work.
Tyler Moore scored the only Cyclones run in the eighth after tripling to lead off the frame and crossing the plate on Nido's groundout.
Friday, the Spikes and Cyclones complete their three-game series with a 7:05 p.m. matchup at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. State College will send left-hander Austin Gomber (0-1) to the mound, while Brooklyn will go with left-hander Carlos Valdez (2-1).
Gates open to the public at 6:00 p.m. for Friday's game, and the first 1,000 fans of all ages will receive a Spikes Fleece Blanket Giveaway, presented by Penn State Federal Credit Union.
Fans can also join the Penn State Chapter of Uplifting Athletes during Lift for Life Weekend in fighting kidney cancer with the Spikes on Friday night. A portion of tickets sold for Friday's game will be donated to Uplifting Athletes to assist in the fight against rare diseases.
Tickets can be purchased at TicketReturn.com for $12 each. Fans ordering tickets should use the Username "Uplifting" and the password "Athletes" to receive the discount and benefit Uplifting Athletes. Uplifting Athletes tickets are also available by calling 814-272-0237.
Even fans unable to attend the game can still help. Ticket orders will be taken as donations for any family who is affected by a rare disease. Too often a baseball game is not in the budget for some of these families, but fans can indicate that their ticket donation is for a family in need and that family's free admittance will be assured. Even better, a portion of the donation will also be given to Uplifting Athletes to help fight rare diseases.
It's also a 4 for $44 Friday at the ballpark, presented by TGI Friday's and MAJIC 99. Purchase four Diamond Club or Field Box seats, four hot dogs and four small sodas for just $44.
Kids can run the bases after the game thanks to Clinical Outcomes Group, Inc., and the first 100 kids aged 12 and under to visit Geisinger Careworks locations at the Weis Plaza in Bellefonte or the Best Buy Plaza in State College will receive FREE tickets on a Geisinger Careworks Kids FREE Friday.
The homestand will continue over the weekend as the Staten Island Yankees (New York Yankees) come to town, and fans will be thrilled by a pair of fantastic FIREWORKS shows. Saturday's show is presented by Penn State Sports Medicine and Sunday's show is presented by First National Bank and ESPN Radio 1450.
Before Saturday's game, kids 12 and under can learn fundamental baseball skills from Spikes players at the Youth Baseball Clinic, presented by Penn State Sports Medicine. The clinic runs from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and is free with a ticket to Saturday night's game.
Saturday's matchup against Staten Island will begin at 7:05 p.m. Sunday, the Spikes and Yankees tangle at 6:05 p.m., with Monday's Super Splash Day game set for a Noon start.
Tickets for all four games left on the current homestand, as well as every game remaining on the Spikes' 2014 home schedule, 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 Friday 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, and on the 3WZ mobile apps, available on Google Play and the App Store.