UNIVERSITY PARK - David Rubinstein collected three hits, including the game-winner in the bottom of the ninth inning, to lift the State College Spikes past the Auburn Doubledays, 4-3, at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Thursday night.
Rubinstein plated Evan Chambers for the final run of the game. Chambers, the Pirates' third-round pick in the 2009 draft, went 0 for 1 in his first professional appearance, but walked three times and drove in a run with a second-inning sacrifice fly.
State College (6-8) took a 3-1 lead in the second inning, but Auburn (5-8) came back with two runs in the sixth to tie the game, setting up the ninth-inning heroics.
Matt Payne went 2 for 3 and scored a run for the Spikes. Ty Summerlin went 2 for 3 as well with a run scored and an RBI.
Marc Baca (1-1) picked up the win for State College after throwing one pitch to get Auburn's Kyle Gilligan to pop out to Summerlin for the final out in the top of the ninth. Kyle McPherson started for the Spikes and pitched a strong six innings, allowing three runs on four hits and a walk while setting a season high for Spikes pitchers with seven strikeouts.
State College and Auburn will face off in the rubber match of their three-game series at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. The Spikes will send lefty Michael Felix (0-0) to the mound to face Doubledays right-hander Brian Justice (0-0).
