The shortened ballgame featured a slight delay for heavy rainfall, seven Williamsport errors, a pair of pitching injuries, as well as a bizarre fog that would engulf the ballpark for a majority of the game until it would end early in the seventh. The only situation more grim than the late night fog may have been the Cutters themselves, who would undo a dominant game two by falling flat against their local rivals.

“Terrible game all around,” said Williamsport manager Jesse Litsch. “Bad defense, had some good hits here and there, but you’re never gonna win a game having seven errors. It’s just terrible, it’s not baseball.”

“There’s no excuse for it,” added Litsch. “The intensity is bad. We just got our butts kicked. Simple. They wanted it more than we did. We had guys going out there half-assed, we have to go out there and play a better game … we gotta come in there and throw strikes, a couple of our arms got hurt. It sucks, this is kind of the stuff we are given and we gotta roll with it.”

Against some unexpected rain in the top of the second, State College would get on the board first starting with a leadoff single by Josh Leslie. A Carlos Contreras flyout provided the first retire of the frame, before the pocket of rain grew heavier and heavier. Williamsport starter Zac Shoemaker would concede a walk to Logan Mathieu during the bizarre sequence.

Brayland Skinner of the Crosscutters singles in the third inning against the State College Spikes at Muncy Bank Ballpark August 10, 2023. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Now with two outs, nine-hole hitter Caleb Marquez drew first blood, hitting a shallow grounder for an infield hit that scored Leslie from third. A throwing error by Isiah Byers, his second of the game, allowed Mathieu and Marquez to advance into scoring position. Another Payton Harden walk would load the bases, before Litsch would take matters into his own hands, forcing the umpires to stop the game and allow the grounds crew to assess the tough footing on the mound and in the batter’s box.

“(The game should have) not been called,” said Litsch. “There definitely should’ve been groundskeepers out there a little earlier. I went out there and the mound was soaked. It’s one of those things where it’s not my call, it’s their call, and we just gotta play the game.”

The groundskeeper work would not benefit the Cutters defense, with third baseman Freddy Rojas Jr. throwing a routine Zac Vooletich grounder wide for the third error of the game, clearing the bases to make it 4-0.

Braedon Blackford would add a garnish next, singling to right field to score Vooletich and complete a five run two out rally which saw just two hits. The bad news turned worse for Shoemaker, who exited the ballgame after just two innings pitched.

“He slipped on the mound and hurt his arm,” said Litsch. “It was wet, they didn’t call the game, he slipped and hurt his arm.”

Brayland Skinner of the Crosscutters is forced out at second base by Zac Vooletich of the State College Spikes in the third inning at Muncy Bank Ballpark August 10, 2023. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

The State College onslaught continued into the fourth against reliever Noah Robinson, beginning with another Freddy Rojas Jr. throwing error. With one away, Zac Vooletich would slap a base hit before a potential inning ending double play ball was muffed by second baseman Tyler Lasch for the fifth error of the game to load the bases.

Brennan Dorighi would keep it fundamental, blasting one 391 feet to right field that went just over the wall for a homerun. Dorighi’s third dinger of the season gave the visitors a 9-0 lead.

Desperate for something positive, Williamsport would get on the board in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Freddy Rojas Jr. would slap his second single of the ballgame. The third basemen would advance to second on a groundout, with a second single of the game for Brayland Skinner scoring Rojas to make it 9-1.

Further reprieve would come for the Cutters when Tyler Lasch reached base on a walk. Pinch hitter Matt Garcia, sporting a .042 average with no runs batted in this season, would get three on a drive to left that just went over the wall to make it 9-4.

Astonishingly, Williamsport’s bad luck would continue when another pitcher, right hander Enrico Peele, was forced to exit the game in the top of the sixth due to injury. A season of struggle with an ERA above 10, Peele tossed an efficient fifth inning before being forced to make way for Davis Burgin.

Brayland Skinner of the Crosscutters is safe at first as the State College Spikes pitcher can’t hold onto the ball in the third inning at Muncy Bank Ballpark August 10, 2023. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Burgin would be unable to turn the tide, walking the bases loaded with Josh Leslie, Carlos Contreras, and Logan Mathieu reaching. Burgin would fight back with a pair of strikeouts, before Payton Harden would hit a single to left. Outfielder Jose Gonzalez would then be unable to field the ball, allowing two to score on a single parlayed with an error.

Zac Vooletich would continue the two-out rally with a single up the middle, scoring two more to make it 13-4.

As the rain gave way to a heavy fog, so too did Williamsport’s defense in the top of the seventh with another fielding error to third on a Brennen Dorighi grounder marked the seventh mark in the error column for the homeside. Changing the narrative, the Cutters got out of the seventh with a double play.

The fog would play to the Cutters favor in the seventh with a one out walk to Tyler Lasch. A Matt Garcia groundout advanced the runner in scoring position to set up Adam Becker. Becker would pop up to right field, only for Brennen Dorighi to leave it in the fog for a base hit allowing Lasch to score.

The umpires would see enough after seven, calling off the game due to the fog with little contest and giving the visitors a decisive victory.

DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette A Crosscutters player looks on during Thursday's game as fog sets in at Bowman Field.

“Ain’t no other way to go but try and win every game from here on out,” discussed Litsch. “They wanna win anything, they gotta start playing and we gotta play back to back games better. From one day to another it’s a different team.

The loss drops Williamsport to 12-15 in the second-half campaign. The Cutters will look to rebound Friday night, where they square off against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in game one of a three-game set.

Mason Minzey of the Crosscutters singles in the first inning against the State College Spikes at Muncy Bank Ballpark August 10, 2023. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

As the rain falls Zac Shoemaker of the Crosscutters throws in the first inning against the State College Spikes at Muncy Bank Ballpark August 10, 2023. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Young baseball fans play in the rain as the Crosscutters play in the first inning against the State College Spikes at Muncy Bank Ballpark August 10, 2023. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette