Williamsport, Pa. – The Crosscutters allowed a season-high three home runs in their 8-5 loss to the State College Spikes on Tuesday night.
Kenney Fabian got off to a great start in his first outing at Journey Bank Ballpark, tossing a pair of scoreless frames on just 22 pitches.
State College broke through against Fabian in the 3rd inning, plating two runs on three hits. CJ Richmond and Camden Ross each driving in a run for the Spikes.
Matthew Williams opened the Bottom of the 3rd with his fifth double of the season, a 106 MPH line drive to right center. Two batters later, Joey DeMucci scored Williams with a RBI ground out to cut the deficit to 2-1.
Fabian went back to work, retiring the Spikes in order in each the 4th and 5th innings, throwing 54 pitches through his first five innings.
In the 6th, things went sideways for Fabian, allowing a 432-foot home run to right field to CJ Richmond to make it 3-1. Camden Ross followed with a 376-foot solo homer to left, making it 4-1.
After Fabian hit Stan DeMartinis III with a pitch, Justin Journette blasted a 467-foot home run off the new batter’s eye in straight-away center to up the Spikes lead to 6-1. Journette’s homer run is the furthest hit in the history of the MLB Draft League.
Fabian was relieved after the Journette blast, replaced by Frankie Sanchez.
State College plated two more runs in the inning off of Sanchez, scoring six runs in the inning to take a 8-1 lead.
Carson Bayne lead off the Bottom of the 6th with his first triple of the season, going high off the wall in right. James McCoy plated Bayne with a two-out RBI single, cutting into the Spikes lead at 8-2.
Davin Pollard delivered back-to-back scoreless frames of relief in the 7th and 8th innings, and showed his ability to work out of a jam in the 8th, leaving the bases loaded without allowing a run.
Luc Lavigueur worked around a walk, pitching a scoreless inning in the Top of the 9th.
Williamsport made it interesting in the Bottom of the 9th, as Matthew Williams lofted his 3rd home run of the season over the right field wall, scoring two runs to make it 8-4. It was Williams third homer in as many days.
Jake Zitella followed with a double to extend his hit streak to seven-straight games and he was driven in on a two-out double from Carson Bayne to make it 8-5.
With the tying run in the on-deck circle, Sam DeCarlo went down on strikes to end the game.
After a league-wide off day on Wednesday, Williamsport heads to Trenton to start a three-game set with the Thunder on Thursday. First pitch scheduled for 7:00 P.M.
Cutters Carvings: Through eight games, Matthew Williams has collected five doubles, three home runs and has driven in 15 runs… Carson Baynes picked up his first three-hit game of the season, finishing a Home Run shy of the cycle… The three home runs allowed by Kenney Fabian are the most allowed by a single pitcher this season for Williamsport…
