Another tight pitcher’s duel spilled over into extra innings Friday night as it took 11 innings for the Aberdeen IronBirds to beat the State College Spikes 3-2 in yet another thriller in front of a record 6,897 at Ripken Stadium. With Cal Ripken, Jr. and Orioles Director of Scouting Joe Jordan in attendance, catcher Austin Rauch’s single to deep left-center field was the difference maker, scoring pinch-runner Zach Moore from third base on the night of the opening ceremonies of the Cal Ripken World Series.

via IronBirds Prevail in 11, 3-2 : The Dagger | Harford County News With an Edge.

LOWELL, Mass. — State College made an abrupt ninth-inning rally Wednesday but couldn’t score enough runs to end a four-game losing streak as the Spikes fell 6-5 to the Lowell Spinners at LeLacheur Park.

The Spikes (25-28) trailed 6-2 with two outs in the ninth inning before Andy Vasquez crunched a three-run home run, his second of the season, to right field. But Lowell’s Stephen Fox struck out Mel Rojas Jr. to prevent further damage.

The Spinners (15-37) broke open a tight game in the bottom of the seventh. Kolbrin Vitek drove in one run with a triple to left off of reliever Trent Stevenson, then came in to score on an infield single by Jose Iglesias. Brandon Jacobs drove in the third run of the inning with a single to center before Justin Ennis came on to strike out Bryce Brentz and end the inning.

via Spikes drop fourth straight – Sports | Centre Daily Times – State College, PA | Penn State, Nittany Lions, weather, news, jobs, homes, apartments, real estate.

Game Recap

Full Box Score

Guy Cipriano

UNIVERSITY PARK — Get two teams together with National League ties and there’s a chance a game can turn small.

That’s fine with the State College Spikes. Some clever shifting of runners and crisp execution helped the Spikes move past .500 with a 2-1 victory over Tri-City on Saturday.

The Spikes (25-24) played a style that made the Pittsburgh Pirates proud. Pitchers Colton Cain, Kevin Decker and Justin Ennis combined for a four-hitter, the defense committed no errors and the offense drove in both runs with the ValleyCat infield in.

“We have just been manufacturing runs real well,” Walker Gourley said. “Our situational hitting has been very good. We have gotten bunts down when we needed to and our baserunning has been good. But, really, our pitching is what’s keeping us in spots to take advantage of what we can get.”

via A small world – Sports | Centre Daily Times – State College, PA | Penn State, Nittany Lions, weather, news, jobs, homes, apartments, real estate.

State College (22-21) started its rally with a five-run eighth inning, followed by single runs in the ninth and tenth innings to cap off the come-from-behind victory. Pat Irvine’s RBI single put the Spikes on the board in the eighth, and Chase Lyles then followed with a two-run triple to bring the margin to 6-3. Matt Skirving doubled home Lyles to make it a two-run game, and Andy Vasquez completed the Spikes’ run in the inning with a sacrifice fly.

In the ninth, Walker Gourley led off with a bunt single, but was ruled out for not touching second on Adalberto Santos’s groundball up the middle. After Santos advanced to second on a balk, Irvine’s two-out RBI double scored him to keep the Spikes alive, leading to Curry’s heroics in the tenth.

Irvine and Gourley each put together three-hit perform

via Spikes’ Record Comeback Produces 7-6 Win Over Doubledays – OurSports Central – Independent and Minor League Sports News.

Collegian Staff Writer

With the bases loaded and two out in the tenth inning, Matt Curry stepped to the plate with a chance to give the State College Spikes their first lead of the game.

The Spikes first baseman delivered, singling to the shortstop to score third baseman Andy Vazquez from third.

Curry and the Spikes completed their comeback in the tenth inning, beating the Auburn Doubledays 7-6 Sunday night at Falcon Park in Auburn, N.Y. The Spikes (22-21) scored five runs in the eighth and one in the ninth before Curry knocked in the game-winning run in the tenth.

via Spikes rally late, win in 10 – The Daily Collegian Online.

AUBURN, N.Y. — The State College Spikes have mastered the art of winning one-run games against the Auburn Doubledays.

The Spikes rallied from a 6-0 deficit to defeat the Doubledays 7-6 in 10 innings Sunday at Falcon Park.

The victory improved the Spikes to 6-2 against the last-place Doubledays. Three of those victories, including Saturday’s 2-1 triumph, have come by one run.

The Spikes scored all of their runs Sunday in the final three innings. A five-run eighth trimmed Auburn’s lead to one. Pat Irvine then tied the game with a two-out RBI double to score Adalberto Santos in the ninth.

Andy Vasquez had a one-out bunt single in the 10th, advanced to second on a wild pitch and reached third when Shawn Griffith walked Mel Rojas Jr. and Walker Gourley to load the bases. Vasquez scored the winning run on Matt Curry’s infield single

via Spikes rally past Auburn – State College Spikes | Centre Daily Times – State College, PA | Penn State, Nittany Lions, weather, news, jobs, homes, apartments, real estate.

By Tim Heiman / Auburn Doubledays

AUBURN, NY – The Auburn Doubledays watched a six-run lead vanish over the final three innings tonight at Falcon Park as they lost to the State College Spikes 7-6 in 10 innings.

The State College Spikes scored seven runs in the final three innings, including a five-run eighth to hand the Doubledays their fourth extra-inning loss of the year. Matt Curry’s two-out RBI single off Shawn Griffith in the tenth inning plated Andy Vasquez with the game-winning run.

via Bullpen falters, Doubledays drop series finale | Auburn Doubledays News.

He fouled a pitch off. He took a ball. He took a strike. He fouled two more pitches off. He took another ball. He fouled a pitch off. He watched two pitches miss the strike zone and trotted to first base. State College Spikes catcher Miguel Mendez then matched the feat two innings later.

Those first 18 pitches he saw last Thursday at Wi l l i a m s p o r t showed why Mendez might be ready to graduate from the New York-Penn League.

Finally.

Mendez is one of three players to spend parts of three seasons with the Spikes. The others are Mendez’s friend Andy Vasquez, an infielder who also arrived here in 2008, and Kyle McPherson, who now pitches at full-season West Virginia.

via Swinging away – Sports | Centre Daily Times – State College, PA | Penn State, Nittany Lions, weather, news, jobs, homes, apartments, real estate.

State College’s late rally not enough as 5,807 pack ballpark

STATE COLLEGE – The State College Spikes received a record standing-room-only sellout crowd of 5,807 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Friday night, and the second record-smashing crowd of the year at the ballpark saw the Spikes fall to the Williamsport Crosscutters, 7-6.

The crowd topped the previous high of 5,775, set earlier this season on June 19th when the Spikes (20-21) faced the Crosscutters (25-16) in an Opening Night battle. It was the third straight record-breaking crowd to feature Williamsport as the opponent. Fans also packed the park for Mifflin & Juniata County Night, and witnessed a spectacular post-game fireworks show.

· Box Score

· Game Log

It was also the ninth sellout crowd in the five-year history of the Spikes, and the 23rd crowd of 5,000 or better at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

via Spikes welcome record crowd to park | State College Spikes News.