David Rubinstein clapped his hands as he reached first base with ease while teammates Brock Holt and Ty Summerlin crossed home plate. Behind cheers from the crowd at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, Rubinstein breathed a sigh of relief.

The right fielder was able to relax after setting the tone for the State College Spikes by providing a two-out single in the bottom of the first inning. The powerful liner that passed through the hole at shortstop provided just enough offense for the Spikes.

"I was just trying to get a fastball to hit," Rubinstein said. "The guy was just pounding the zone and I was fouling them off. I was just trying to see it out of his hand and he left one up in the zone and I just got the barrel on it and it went through."

Rubinstein had one of the team's four hits and bolstered the Spikes defense with two spectacular diving catches. In a game where one run was the difference, Rubinstein was a key contributor in the Spikes' (11-10) 2-1 win over the visiting Batavia Muckdogs (11-10).

"I don't know, but somebody said sometime that about 75 or 85 percent of the time the team that scores first wins," manager Gary Robinson said. "I don't know if that's true or not, but it's nice to score first and then protect the inning."

While Rubinstein didn't waste time making an impact in the batters box, his defensive skills were equally impressive. In the top of the fifth inning, the right fielder showed he could also get the job done with his glove by charging a shallow pop fly.

Rubinstein lunged forward, slid across the grass and made a diving grab that took away what would have been an easy single for Muckdog's catcher Ivan Castro. The diving grab was Rubinstein's second of the night after he sprawled across the grass to rob right fielder Ryde Rodriguez of a base hit in the second inning.

"Rubinstein will fool you because he's a little faster than he looks," Robinson said. "He takes long strides, his first step is usually right and he's got a little make-up speed. That one in the gap was just one hell of a catch because he had to reach across his body and the ball was hard to hold on to."

In a game where both teams saw quality pitching, Rubinstein's defensive display helped back strong outings from starter Victor Black and lefty Tyler Cox (3-1). Rubinstein said both of his catches were just the result of him wanting to make a play for the pitchers who have been pitching well.

Rubinstein got back on track and raised his batting average to .250 after he was 0-for-6 in the first two games of the series.

He couldn't have picked a better time to record two RBIs. His performance allowed the Spikes to take the series, two games to one from the Muckdogs. The victory also marked the third-consecutive series the Spikes have won.