State College Spikes beat Hudson Valley to capture New York-Penn League championship

Black trash bags lined the floor of the team lounge.

A cooler was wheeled into the middle of the room.

Everything was silent.

But not for long.

The State College Spikes, minutes after winning the New York-Penn League championship with a 2-1 win over Hudson Valley on Monday night, came running through the bowels of Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

All the players grabbed a bottle and gathered around.

They were waiting for their manager.

“We want Johnny, we want Johnny,” the team chanted.

Finally, Spikes manager Johnny Rodriguez peered his head around the corner, ran into the room, slid on the floor, and was doused.

“I’m humbled,” Rodriguez said. “He (pointing to the sky) has smiled on me.”

But Rodriguez, to an extent, saw this coming.

The manager — who led the Spikes to their second-ever league title, last clinching in 2014 — believed in his team’s potential before the season got underway.

From the get-go, Rodriguez called his players “grinders” — they weren’t the most talented bunch in the league, but they knew how to win.

When asked how he felt for his players, that’s the first thing Rodriguez brought up.

“We came here as grinders,” the manager said. “We finished as champions.”

One of those “grinders” was Danny Hudzina, a 2016 10th-round draft pick who started his professional career 1 for 24 at the plate.

He turned it around, though, and came through with his biggest hit of the season on Monday night.

Hudson Valley led on an RBI single by Jose Rojas in the first inning, but Hudzina responded in the bottom of the second — and everyone in the ballpark reacted the same way.

Hudzina crushed an 0-1 changeup over the Pepsi Picnic Pavilion in left field for a two-run home run, scoring Ryan McCarvel.

He knew it was gone immediately after contact.

“It was just one of those feelings,” Hudzina said. “I got all of it, and it felt great.”

That was the extent of State College’s offense. The Spikes finished the game with only three hits.

But State College’s pitching saw them through.

Starting pitcher Jordan DeLorenzo and reliever and winning pitcher Greg Tomchick tossed four innings each, and in the ninth inning, it came down to southpaw Brady Bowen to secure a 2-1 lead and the title.

Bowen took pride in the fact that Rodriguez trusted him to close the door, and he didn’t disappoint his manager.

The 24-year-old came out and struck out the first batter he faced.

Rodriguez saw something.

“That’s the best he looked all year,” the manager said, citing Bowen’s precise breaking ball. “He wasn’t going to be denied. ... I knew it. It was over.”

Bowen struck out his second batter, and the third? A trend had developed.

The reliever had Hudson Valley catcher Chris Betts down in an 0-2 count.

Bowen threw a breaking ball in the dirt, and Betts obliged, swinging and missing.

Spikes backstop Jeremy Martinez had to throw over to first on the dropped third strike, but the Spikes dugout already started to clear.

Martinez’s throw was clean, and the celebration was on.

Bowen, meanwhile, blacked out for a second.

“I’ve never been in a situation this important before,” he said. “My adrenaline kind of took over. ... It was just joy from there.”

That much was obvious.

The Spikes cherished the moment on the field, creating a dogpile on the mound and sticking around to salute the crowd that came out.

Then the players funneled into their team lounge, and waited.

Hudzina and the players felt it was imperative to hold off for Rodriguez before popping bottles.

“To have him as your first pro ball manager is pretty special,” Hudzina said. “He’s exactly who you want. ... I’m so happy we could get this done for him.”

As Rodriguez slid into the fray, the party started.

The black bags on the floor became soaked with sparkling cider — most players aren’t 21 yet — the lone trash can in the room filled with empty bottles, and the Spikes filed out drenched and smiling.

Bowen, one of the older members of the team, did have something to admit.

“I prefer real champagne,” the reliever said with a smirk, “but it’s really about celebrating with your teammates.”

And by all accounts, the Spikes deserved it.

This story was originally published September 12, 2016 at 9:28 PM with the headline "State College Spikes beat Hudson Valley to capture New York-Penn League championship."