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Through their series sweep at the hands of Frederick two weekends ago, it seemed like the Williamsport Crosscutters' fiery start could be slowing down. Even in a sport with as many games and series as baseball, bouncing back from back-to-back double-digit losses is not always a seamless process.
However, the team never let those shortcomings faze it, appearing more motivated than ever to reclaim the top spot in the MLB Draft League after the Scrappers briefly took control. Even after a tough, sudden death loss to State College to split the foes' two-game series, confidence remained high as it went into its four-game series against Mahoning Valley.
"I think we're really coming together," said Crosscutter manager Ryan Hanigan following that loss last Wednesday. "We're playing baseball as a team. We're picking each other up. We've got a lot of weapons and I've been really happy in general with the way we've been running the bases, putting pressure on teams, using our speed and taking advantage when guys aren't paying attention to our runners."
After giving up 33 runs in two games to Frederick, it allowed just five against a Spikes squad ranking as the second-best hitting team in the league, behind Williamsport.
Its pitching and fielding were more on par with what we saw from it in its first two outings of the season. And while its offense slowed down in Game 2, it logged one of its best offensive performances in Game 1, posting 13 runs off 14 hits and exploding for nine runs in the third and fourth.
Then, everything came together in its series against Mahoning Valley and on the road at West Virginia.
In a battle for the top spot in the MLB Draft League standings, Williamsport handed the Scrappers loss after loss, shutting them out twice and outscoring them 22-6 through a four-game series sweep. That proficiency on both sides of the field carried into the following series, as the Cutters comfortably won Game One before clutching out Games Two and Three to secure back-to-back sweeps.
Through the last seven games, they hold a 6-0-1 record, a span in which they never allowed more than three runs in an outing. The bullpen woes from their lone series loss to the Keys disappeared in the blink of an eye, with relievers Jimmy Romano and Brett Thomas combining for three saves through that stretch and the pen as a whole backing up their proficient starters.
A pitching core that previously ranked last in the league in overall ERA, opposing runs and strikeouts now ranks No. 4 in ERA and opposing runs ahead of Trenton and West Virginia. And through the seven days leading into the current series, it ranked No. 2 in ERA, WHIP and opposing batting average.
Hitting wise, they rank No. 1 in the league in batting average (.270), on-base percentage (.390) and slugging percentage (.358) and were on par with those numbers throughout this past week as well.
Multiple batters in the lineup have either found their footing or never lost it. Recent newcomer and high school graduate Zane Becker has hit .364 over the last 15 days, outfielder Eric Rataczak has hit close to .450 over the past week and shortstop Carter Dorighi hasn't slowed down through 17 games, hitting .397 on the season and improving as the season continues.
Heading into its series against Frederick and past the first half of the season's midway point, Williamsport holds a sizable 4.5-game cushion over its top slot and doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. As it stands, it's never finished the first half of the season on top.