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Spikes win NYPL in two games

STATE COLLEGE – They came to Happy Valley as grinders and they are leaving as champions.

That is probably the best way to describe what happened Monday night at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, where the State College Spikes defeated the Hudson Valley Renegades, 2-1, to capture the 2016 New York-Penn League title.

It was the second championship for the Spikes, who also won the league in 2014.

“They are a bunch of grinders who have the talent, maybe not the best talent, but they find a way to win and that was evident out there tonight,” Spikes manager Johnny Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez emphasized the maturity of the guys making the transition from high school or college to the pro ranks.

“All the guys who started slow picked it up,” he said. “I told them, hey it is a long season and you have never done this (played) every day before even as college players. There you go to school, classes and play on the weekends. They learned that things can turn on you quick. That was my message to them because they weren’t here before and I have been here. Now they have been here too.”

For Rodriguez, even though he has been there before, it never gets old.

“This is my third championship in five years and I am totally humbled,” he said. “I’m not deserving of this but what he (God) has smiled upon me. Even last year, had we gotten in, the team that got us in won it. It is just humbling to see these guys and the guys I had before who are in the big leagues, it is just totally humbling.”

The Renegades took an early lead when they parlayed two hits, a walk and a hit batsman into a first-inning run.

The Hudson Valley lead was short-lived, as the Spikes scored the only two runs they were going to need for the victory in the second inning.

Ryan McCarvel drew a base on balls to lead off the inning. One out later, Danny Hudzina picked on an 0-1 fastball from Travis Ott and drilled it deep over the left field fence for a two-run home run and a 2-1 State College lead that stood up for the final.

“It was just one of those good feelings when I hit it,” Hudzina said. “It was the pitch (slider) I was looking for and I just got all of it.”

Hudzina felt that where he started to where is now just felt great.

“It is just incredible,” he said. “To end the season after the way I started is exactly what I wanted to do. I knew I had to just keep on fighting and fortunately for me, it paid off.”

That is when the pitchers took over. Four innings from Jordan DeLorenzo, four more from Greg Tomchick and the final one by Brady Bowen.

DeLorenzo started and worked four, allowing one run on four hits, walking two and striking out seven. Tomchick was even better as he also worked four innings, but only allowed two hits while walking one. Then came Bowen and he was lights out as he came in the ninth and struck out the side to hang another banner up for the Spikes.

“It was just a total team effort, but our pitchers were outstanding tonight,” Rodriguez said. “I wanted four or five from DeLorenzo, Tomchick three or four and bridge it with Spencer Trayner to Bowen. Tomchick gave us a strong four so we didn’t need Trayner and Bowen was on top of his game. That is the best he has looked all year. He wasn’t going to be denied.”

Coming into the post-game celebration, Rodriguez did a flat out slide on the already soaked mat that brought cheers from everybody.

“The reason I did that was that Sean (Rodriguez, his son) had a walk off for Pittsburgh and he ran and slid,” the manager explained. “When I saw the opening, I just told myself that I was going to go for it.”

State College has won the league two of the past three years, and seen the best run in the club’s 11-year history since 2013, when the Spikes changed their player development affiliation to the St. Louis Cardinals from the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Spikes were a Cardinals affiliate when the team was moved here from New Jersey for the 2006 season.

In 2013, the Spikes made the playoffs for the first time, then in 2014 won the championship. After missing a chance to repeat a year ago, the Spikes put together their best record over the course of this season.

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