Redemption leads State College Spikes back to league championship series

Late in the State College Spikes’ game Friday night, his team clinging to a one-run lead with a berth in the league championship on the line, manager Johnny Rodriguez headed to the infield to talk with his team.

He had a brief message to give to his players, but when he walked up the mound, the exact word he wanted to use, which he was thinking when he left the dugout, escaped him.

“I asked the Stanford guy (shortstop Tommy Edman) but he couldn’t hear me,” the manager recalled after the game Friday. “Guess who answered the question? I said, ‘This is --?’”

First baseman Elier Rodriguez knew exactly what his manager was asking, and responded, “Redemption.”

A night earlier, the Spikes had rallied with two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 2-2 tie, only to give up a home run — after a lengthy rain delay — in the 10th inning to the Staten Island Yankees. State College even loaded the bases in the bottom of the 10th, but could not cash in.

They could have clinched that spot in the New York-Penn League’s title series for a third time in four years that night, but instead had to wait 24 hours, and endure more drama with a 6-5 lead late in the game.

The Spikes got the message, they held onto that lead and begin play in the best-of-three championship at 4 p.m. Sunday at Dutchess Stadium, home of the Hudson Valley Renegades. Games 2 and 3 of the series are in State College at 7:05 p.m. Monday and, if necessary, Tuesday.

The message on that mound visit, and the situation, epitomized what makes the Spikes stand out this season. The team is not flashy, they do not put up gaudy numbers. They are nowhere near the league leaders in batting average or home runs. Their earned run average is good, but not great, and their pitchers’ strikeout totals rank toward the bottom of the league.

But the team is steady, tough and puts up a fight.

As the manager walked to the mound at that moment of the game, some wondered if he was going to instruct his pitcher to intentionally walk the batter to set up a double play situation. That also would have put the go-ahead run on base.

“I’m not going to walk anybody,” Rodriguez said. “You’re going to have to beat my two best guys at the back end (of the bullpen in Eric Carter and Brady Bowen). If it happens, it happens. That’s when you put pressure on yourself. These two guys have been there. Finish it.”

Carter, a league all-star last month, and Brady have nine saves each, and they did indeed finish off the game and set up the title series.

The contests are a rematch of the first week of the season, when Hudson Valley visited Medlar Field at Lubrano Park and took 2 of 3 games.

Rodriguez felt his team was tested well by Staten Island in their semifinal series, and there are a number of similarities to their next opponent, but the Yankees have more power. The Renegades have hit just 12 home runs as a team this season, tied for the league low.

But they beat teams with their speed and aggressiveness on the bases. They pace the league, by far, with 125 stolen bases. The next-highest team has 84, and the Spikes have swiped just 58.

“Couple guys, we’re going to have to study how to pitch them,” Rodriguez said. “And of course they run forever.”

Figuring on a postseason meeting with Hudson Valley, Rodriguez has had his team practicing pitch-outs and pickoff moves for the last few weeks.

They have battled through a lot all season, and there is still a lot to prove, but it can all be taken care of in the next three days.

“It’s only going to make us better,” Rodriguez said.

This story was originally published September 10, 2016 at 10:34 PM with the headline "Redemption leads State College Spikes back to league championship series."