Williamsport, Pa. - Matthew Williams homered and drove in four as the Crosscutters outslugged the Spikes, 13-7, on Monday night.
Owen Prince manufactured the Crosscutters first run of the night in the Bottom of the 1st, doubling, stealing 3rd and scoring on a wild pitch to give Williamsport an early 1-0 lead.
Williams plated the games second run, ripping a RBI double to right of center, scoring Jack Kail to make it 2-0. For Williams it was fourth double of the season.
In the 3rd, Williamsport opened it up, plating five runs against the Spikes starter, Trey Cehajic. Nick Barone doubled home Chris Stanfield, followed by a two-run double from Jack Kail to make it 5-0.
With Kail at 2nd, Williams tagged a Cehajic offering 395’ to left, his second home run of the year and second in as many days, to give the Cutters a 7-0 lead.
In the 4th, Williamsport struck for another run as James McCoy’s two-out double chased in Chris Stanfield to up the lead to 8-0.
Barone added on in the Bottom of the 6th inning, again using a two-out double to score Sam DeCarlo to make it a commanding 9-0 lead for Williamsport.
Crosscutters starter Josh Willitts delivered his best outing of the season, going six scoreless frames against a good State College offense. Willitts struck out five batters, allowing to hits and a walk.
Caleb Anderson was the first out of the bullpen for Williamsport, and three batters in to the inning, Justin Journette clubbed a two-run home run to get the Spikes on the board, cutting the deficit to 9-2.
James McCoy took over on the mound in the Top of the 8th inning, allowing three of the four batters he faced to reach before he was pulled for Preston Drebes.
The first batter Drebes faced, Camden Ross, hit a Grand Slam to left to make it 9-5. Journette followed with his second homer of the game, pulling the Spikes within two at 9-7.
Drebes was able to get out of the inning with the lead intact.
Williamsport’s offense came to the aide of the pitching staff in the Bottom of the 8th inning, getting four of those runs back.
With two outs and the bases loaded, Matthew Williams was hit by a pitch to plate the Cutters 10th run of the night and giving Williams his 4th RBI.
Nicholas Romano, hitless up to this point, shot a bases clearing double down the right field line, giving the Cutters a 13-7 advantage. It was Romano’s first extra base hit of the season.
Drebes pitched a scoreless 9th, closing out the Cutters victory.
Williamsport looks to sweep the short two-game set from State College. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. tomorrow evenong.
Cutters Carvings: James McCoy collected his second-straight three hit game, going 3-for-4 with a double and a RBI… Chris Stanfield picked up his fourth three-hit game, finishing 3-for-5 with three runs scored… Tonight was the 13th time this season the Cutters scored double digit runs, a new franchise record…
