Spikes set new franchise wins record
STATE COLLEGE, PA - In front of a record crowd at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Sunday, Jeremy Martinez's eighth-inning single gave the State College Spikes a 3-2 victory over the Williamsport Crosscutters for their franchise record 49th win of the season.
The victory allowed the 2016 Spikes (49-26) to surpass the 2013 and 2014 squads for the most wins in club history. In addition, Hudson Valley's loss to Aberdeen on Sunday allowed State College to take a one-game lead in the race for the top seed in the New York-Penn League playoffs with one game left in the regular season.
The Spikes also welcomed a record 6,111 fans to the ballpark on Sunday, breaking the old record of 6,105 set on August 15, 2015 against West Virginia.
Martinez brought in Tommy Edman with the two-out single to center in the eighth to break a 2-2 tie. The catcher knocked in two runs on the night, starting the scoring with a two-out single to the right side of the infield in the first.
Williamsport (39-35) tied the game in the fourth on a State College error before the Spikes took the lead back with Danny Hudzina's wall-ball double in the fifth.
Enmanuel Garcia then led off the seventh inning with a solo home run to left field to knot the game at 2-2 before Martinez's heroics in the next inning.
State College starter Steven Farinaro extended his streak of consecutive innings without allowing an earned run to 25 as he yielded just one unearned run over six frames on the mound. Farinaro yielded eight hits and a walk while striking out seven batters.
Reliever Gerwuins Velazco (3-0) then gave up Garcia's home run but bounced back to toss two innings for the win. Velazco allowed two hits total while striking out three batters.
Eric Carter (9) then tied teammate Brady Bowen for the NYPL saves lead with a 1-2-3 ninth inning that included two strikeotus.
Williamsport starter Bailey Falter allowed two runs on six hits and a walk over five innings of work. Falter struck out five batters before giving way to Tyler Hallead (2-2). Hallead gave up one run on one hit and two walks over three innings in taking the loss. The right-hander also struck out two batters in the effort.
Monday, the Spikes and Crosscutters each finish the regular season with a Labor Day matinee matchup at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport. The 1:05 p.m. game will feature left-hander Dewin Perez (3-5) on the mound for State College, with right-hander Adonis Medina (5-3) taking the ball for Williamsport.
The Spikes can clinch the top seed in the New York-Penn league playoffs with a win, which would mean a Semifinal Series matchup against the Staten Island Yankees.
Spikes fans will have at least one more opportunity to pack the park during the playoffs as the club is #BackInTheHunt, presented by Lion Country Kia and HRI, Inc. The playoffs will begin on Wednesday, September 7, with the Spikes guaranteed to host Game 2 of the first-round NYPL Semifinal Series on Thursday, September 8 at 7:05 p.m.
Thursday's home playoff game will also feature a special postseason edition of $1 Beer Thursday, presented by BIG Froggy 101. 12-oz. domestic draft beers will be available for just $1 apiece from 6-8 p.m.
In addition, college students across Central PA can enjoy even more value during every remaining Spikes home game with the College 3-2-1 Special. The College 3-2-1 Special offers any college student presenting a valid student ID at ticket and concessions windows $3 Outfield Bleacher seats or $3 off seat in any other ballpark section, excluding Pepsi Picnic Pavilion and suites, plus $2 medium sodas and $1 hot dogs all game long.
In anticipation of as many as four potential September home playoff games at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, Spikes Four-Game Playoff Packs are now available for purchase. Playoff Packs start as low as just $16 per seat and include a $4 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 Spikes Rally Towel while supplies last.
Fans can purchase Four-Game Playoff Packs, as well as individual tickets for Game 2 on Thursday, by visiting the Spikes Ticket Office at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, or by calling (814) 272-1711 during normal Ticket Office hours (9 a.m. to end of game on game days Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to end of game on game days Saturday-Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on non-game days Monday-Friday).
Catch all of the action on Monday via the Spikes Radio Network, presented by Penn State Health, at 12:50 p.m. with Spikes Live, presented by Mount Nittany Health, on the air from BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. The Spikes' radio broadcast can also be heard worldwide through the "Listen Live" link on StateCollegeSpikes.com, provided by the club's flagship radio home, Newsradio 1390 WRSC, as well as the TuneIn Radio app.