Doubledays take rubber game against Spikes 6-3

AUBURN, N.Y. - The Auburn Doubledays (38-25) used a four-run seventh inning on Thursday to take down the State College Spikes (30-33), 6-3, in front of 2,009 in attendance at Falcon Park. The win guarantees that the Doubledays will not finish with a losing record during the regular season.

Down 3-2 entering the seventh, the Doubledays rallied to send 10 hitters to the plate. Catcher Spencer Kieboom was the first to get aboard, drawing a one-out walk. That was followed by three consecutive singles, which tied the game at 3-3 and loaded the bases for LF Estarlin Martinez. Martinez drove in what wound up being the winning run with a sacrifice fly to left. Two more singles by RF Brandon Miller and 3B Carlos Alvarez drove in the final two runs of the frame. In total Auburn had five hits in the inning, all singles.

Auburn had faced a 3-0 deficit heading into the bottom of the fourth, which is when the Doubledays struck for their first two runs of the game. Three consecutive hits to begin the inning by the three, four, and five hitters in the lineup loaded the bases with no one out. That allowed Alvarez to drive in a run with a sacrifice fly to right. Two batters later, another sacrifice fly hit by CF Wes Schill drove in the second run of the frame.

The Spikes scored their first two runs in the top of the first. Second baseman Jodaneli Carvajal lead off the game with a double to right. That was followed by another double to right by CF Walker Gourley, which drove in Carvajal for the first run of the game. Gourley wound up scoring from third on a single up the middle by catcher Jacob Stallings. The third State College run came in the top of the fourth on a solo homerun by RF Jesus Vasquez.

RHP Travis Henke (5-1) earned the win for Auburn, pitching three innings of scoreless relief. RHP Ivan Pineyro got the start but only pitched one inning because of injury. RHP Cody Davis picked up his third save of they year by pitching a perfect ninth. The loss went to LHP Tom Harlan (2-6) for the Spikes. He only lasted a third of an inning while allowing three earned runs on five hits.

The Doubledays begin their final regular-season home series of the summer on Friday August 24 against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. Auburn will send LHP Blake Monar (2-3) to the mound for his 11th start of the summer. He will match up against RHP Jacob Lee (4-1) for Mahoning Valley. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05pm. Gates will open at 5:00pm for Happy Hour with special food and beverage discounts until 7:00pm. The Doubledays Booster Club will also be making some presentations prior to the game. Tickets available by calling the Doubledays box office at 315-255-2489 or by going online to www.auburndoubledays.com.