Martinez, Farinaro guide Spikes to record-setting win over Crosscutters

Jeremy Martinez isn’t accustomed to going this long without a base knock.

Held hitless in his last three games, the State College Spikes catcher wanted to put that behind him on Sunday — and he sparked the crowd in doing so.

Martinez recorded a pair of RBI singles, including a go-ahead line drive in the bottom of the eighth inning, and propelled State College over the Williamsport Crosscutters 3-2 on Sunday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in the regular season home finale. The Spikes set the franchise record for wins in a regular season.

State College (49-26) finished with a 23-15 mark at home, and a lot of that has to do with Martinez’s consistency at the plate.

“He’s probably one of the most disciplined hitters,” Spikes manager Johnny Rodriguez said of Martinez. “He may not have the best bat speed or the greatest leverage, but his discipline — he knows what he wants to do with every pitch.”

And he knew what to do with a few of them on Sunday.

The 21-year-old cleanup hitter opened the scoring with an RBI single to left field in the first inning, driving home Vince Jackson.

More importantly, he also ended the scoring. With leadoff man Tommy Edman on second base and two outs in the eighth, Martinez laced a 1-1 pitch into centerfield to score the shortstop.

“I was hunting the fastball early, but he started with a breaking ball,” Martinez said of reliever Tyler Hallead’s opening pitch. “Then he doubled up (on fastballs) and I was able to see the first one and then get a ‘W’ for that at-bat.”

Martinez has been stellar this season, boasting a .317 batting average

Rodriguez said his catcher, with the way he’s hitting this season, could have a batting average around .290 in Double-A and a .250 mark in Triple-A.

As for that mini-slump Martinez was going through, Sunday took care of that.

“It’s going to happen,” Martinez said, “but it’s about that emotional rollercoaster. Just have to stay positive.”

Farinaro deals

He didn’t show much emotion at all.

Steven Farinaro put his head down, walked from the mound to the dugout, fist bumped the bat boy, and took his seat on the pine after the top of the sixth frame.

Another inning in the books, another possibly perilous jam taken care of.

It’s what he did all night.

The Spikes starter could’ve made history — if the State College relievers maintained the 2-1 lead he handed over to them, Farinaro would’ve become the first player in franchise history to reach double-digit wins.

Still, that doesn’t take away from the evening Farinaro (9-1) had on the bump. The 21-year-old Californian struck out seven and allowed one unearned run in six innings. Farinaro gave up eight hits, but stranded eight and held the Crosscutters to a .133 batting average (2 for 15) with runners in scoring position.

“He can (get out of jams) because of his breaking ball,” Rodriguez said. “Right now, he’s in the running for the (Single-A) Peoria rotation next year, and his breaking ball has made the difference.”

Packed park

Medlar Field at Lubrano Park looked especially full on Sunday night, and the numbers back that up.

With an announced attendance of 6,111, the Spikes’ regular-season home finale drew the largest crowd in franchise history.

Awards doled out

Prior to Sunday’s game, State College announced its year-end awards. Edman was named the Spikes’ Most Valuable Player, Farinaro was dubbed the club’s Pitcher of the Year, and Danny Hudzina won the Josiah Viera Perseverance Award.

Edman has been a consistent leadoff man, leading the New York-Penn League in runs (60) and walks (45) through Sunday.

Farinaro set the Spikes’ single-season wins record with nine, and Hudzina overcame a 1 for 24 start at the plate to begin the season to reach the 2016 New York-Penn League All-Star Game. Hudzina’s award is a tribute to Viera, the Spikes’ honorary bench coach who is diagnosed with Hutchinson/Gilford progeria.

Up next

Spikes: State College closes out its regular season at Williamsport at 1:05 p.m. Monday. Dewin Perez is scheduled to start for the Spikes. Perez (3-5, 4.93 ERA) has especially struggled in recent outings. In his last six appearances (22 1/3 innings), the 21-year-old Colombian has allowed 20 earned runs — an ERA of 8.06 in that span.

The Spikes can clinch the No. 1 seed in the New York-Penn League playoffs with a win Monday. If Hudson Valley (47-26) and State College both lose Monday, the Spikes will get the No. 1 seed. If Hudson Valley wins and State College loses, the Renegades receive the No. 1 seed due to winning percentage.

Hudson Valley plays at Aberdeen at 1:05 p.m. Monday.

Crosscutters: Opposite Perez is expected to be Williamsport right-hander Adonis Medina. Medina (5-3, 2.92 ERA) has faced the Spikes three times this summer, surrendering five earned runs in 14 innings pitched (3.21 ERA).

This story was originally published September 4, 2016 at 9:50 PM with the headline "Martinez, Farinaro guide Spikes to record-setting win over Crosscutters."