FREDERICK, Md. - An offense that has been struggling for production in the past week was anything but struggling on Sunday afternoon as the Williamsport Crosscutters recorded 12 hits en route an 8-5 win over the Frederick Keys to secure the weather-shortened two game series split at Nyemo Field.

Carlos Castillo, for the second night in a row, led off the game with a single. This was followed by back-to-back singles from Taeg Gollert and Matthew Bardowell with Bardowell adding an RBI as he drove in Castillo from second. Williamsport continued to threaten as Amman Dewberry singled as well, the fourth hit in the inning for a Cutters offense that has been struggling to find hits, to load the bases but back-to-back strikeouts by Matt Ilgenfritz and Jack Lausch would leave the bases loaded as the top of the first inning came to an end with Williamsport leading 1-0.

Jordan Peyton, making his Williamsport Crosscutters debut after playing for the Frederick Keys earlier this season, worked a lead-off walk to start the second inning. This would be followed up by a sharp line drive single off the bat of Christian Reyes, his first hit of the season. Peyton would steal third and score on a Ryan Kennell single while Reyes would score on a Taeg Gollert single. Kennell would be caught attempting to steal third before Matthew Bardowell homered to right-center, his second home run of the season, to push the Cutters lead to 5-0 in the middle of the second inning.

Frederick would find the scoreboard for the first time in the bottom of the second as three walks, a passed ball, a throwing error, and a single would lead to two runs for the Keys, cutting the Williamsport lead to 5-2 through two innings.

The Cutters wasted no time getting those two runs back in the top of the third as Matt Ilgenfritz worked a lead-off walk, Jordan Peyton worked a one-out walk and Christian Reyes singled to load the bases up for Ryan Kennell. Kennel would softly line a ball into left that got down for a single and was deep enough to score both Ilgenfritz and Peyton, restoring the Cutters lead to five runs at 7-2 in the middle of the third inning.

The scoreboard would fall silent until Frederick responded in the bottom of the fourth inning, trimming the Cutters lead again by two runs. A walk and a single would setup a Tervell Johnson RBI single followed by a Walter Urbon RBI groundout to make it 7-4 Williamsport after four innings.

Christian Reyes stepped up in the top of the fifth to answer back and he would answer back in a big way as he blasted a 374 ft, 100.4mph home run to left field from the lead-off spot, his first home run on the season on the same day that saw his first hit of the season to increase the Cutters lead to 8-4.

Frederick would get one more run back on a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth but the the Crosscutters would leave Frederick with a 8-4 victory and the two-game series split with the Keys.

Sam Swygert got the start for the Crosscutters and worked the first two innings allowing two runs on one hit with four walks and three strikeouts.

Hayden Smith was first out of the bullpen, going the next two innings allowing two runs on two hits with one walk and two strikeouts.

Merit Jones would earn the win for Williamsport, improving to 2-0 on the season, after two innings of no-hit relief, walking two, and striking out three.

Cade Davis worked the next two innings as the setup man, allowing a solo home run over two innings of work with one walk and three strikeouts.

Jared Ure entered in the ninth and faced the minimum in route to his first save of the season.

The Crosscutters return home on Tuesday evening to wrap up the first-half home schedule with matchups against the Trenton Thunder on July 1st & 2nd, the State College Spikes on July 4th and the West Virginia Black Bears on July 5th and 6th. To view game times and promotional details and to secure your seats today, visit Crosscutters.com.

Cutters Carvings - Catcher Christian Reyes recorded his first hits and his first home run of the season today after beginning the year 0 for 11 at the plate... The home runs by Matthew Bardowell and Christian Reyes mark the first multi-home run game for the Crosscutters in 2025... Jordan Peyton, Carlos Castillo and Jack Lausch each stole a base today, bringing the Cutters total stolen bases in 2025 to 23...