State College Spikes cruise past Auburn Doubledays
The State College Spikes rode another big inning to victory Wednesday night as they beat the Auburn Doubledays 7-1 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
The Spikes (5-4) seized control with a four-run third inning against the Doubledays (3-6), following a similar formula to their previous two victories. Last Friday, State College scored six runs in an inning on its way to a 13-7 win over Batavia and, on Sunday, scored nine runs in the fourth inning to beat Mahoning Valley 9-0.
In the third inning Wednesday, Auburn left-hander Yonathan Ramirez gave up two walks before allowing a single to State College’s Caleb Lopes to load the bases with no outs. Ramirez was then called for a balk to bring in the Spikes’ first run, and a wild pitch with one out scored State College’s second run.
Evan Mendoza added an RBI double in the inning, and Ricardo Bautista’s RBI groundout made it 4-0 Spikes.
Ramirez allowed three hits, three walks and four runs in three innings to take the loss.
Player of the game
Spikes starting pitcher Anthony Shew: Shew was sharp again to ensure State College’s third-inning outburst was enough. The right-hander struck out eight and allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings to earn the win, improving his record to 2-0 this season. Shew has now allowed one run in 10 2/3 innings for the Spikes, striking out 15 and walking none.
Insurance runs
Putting the game out of reach: The Spikes scored two runs in the seventh inning and added one in the eighth to take a 7-1 lead. Mendoza, who finished 3 for 4 with two RBIs, lined a one-run single down the left field line to highlight the seventh. Bautista drove in State College’s second run in the seventh, and the Spikes scored their final run in the eighth on a passed ball.
Roster notes
Draft picks arrive: After signing with the St. Louis Cardinals, outfielder Scott Hurst and left-handed pitcher Andrew Summerville joined the Spikes on Wednesday. Hurst was St. Louis’ first pick in this year’s MLB draft. The third-round selection led Cal State Fullerton with a .328 batting average and 12 home runs in 2017. Summerville, a 12th-round pick, went 5-2 with a 4.10 ERA in his final season at Stanford.
Next up
Auburn at State College, 7:05 p.m. Thursday: The Spikes and Doubledays continue their three-game series at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The starting pitchers have yet to be announced.
This story was originally published June 28, 2017 at 10:16 PM with the headline "State College Spikes cruise past Auburn Doubledays."