He certainly did.

Facing a 2-2 count with Levi Perrell on first, Brown delivered a bomb over the heads of his teammates in the bullpen, a two-run shot which tied the game. It was just the boost his team needed, as they never looked back on the way to a historic victory.

“It was such an amazing feeling,” said Brown on the homer. “My first two at-bats, I was hunting that inside two-seamer, didn’t get it. My third at-bat, I got that inside two-seamer and put a good swing on it. Got a home run out of it that helped our team win today.”

On Thursday night at Bowman Field, the Williamsport Crosscutters outhit second-half champion Trenton 11-6 and pitchers Josh Lanham and Shaun Gamelin combined for seven scoreless innings, five of which came in a row, as the Crosscutters won the MLB Draft League Championship, 5-4.

The Crosscutters celebrate their 2024 MLB Draft League Championship at Journey Bank Ballpark. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

It was the first time they’ve been crowned MLB Draft League champions since the league’s inception in 2021. On top of that, it was the first time they won a league title since 2003, when the Cutters were a part of the New York-Penn league.

“I’m just pumped,” said Crosscutter manager Ryan Hanigan on the historic win. “This is a game we wanted to win. We haven’t played as well as we would like to (this season), but there’s been a lot of close games, a lot of good baseball, a lot of positive stuff and obviously, finishing on top is huge.”

After retiring Trenton’s top of the order with relative ease to kick things off, it seemed like the Williamsport offense would be on the receiving end of an identical start. But with two outs on the board, Cutter second baseman Cory Taylor would scrape a grounder between Trenton’s third baseman and shortstop, giving the team the first hit of the day.

Just attributing a hit in the first would’ve been a positive, but the team wasn’t finished.

Mark Shallenberger and McGwire Holbrook each kept their strong conclusions to the season going, following up Taylor’s single with singles of their own. With Holbrook’s liner down the left field line, Taylor made it home, giving Williamsport an initial lead.

The Crosscutters celebrate their 2024 MLB Draft League Championship at Journey Bank Ballpark. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

That lead wouldn’t last long, as Trenton’s Andy Blake batted in three runs in the third to make it 3-1. But Williamsport would respond right back in the fifth, and that first-inning effort wouldn’t be the last time it impacted the scoreboard with two outs on the board.

Following Brown’s game-tying homer, it seemed like that would be all the Cutters would muster in the fifth, as Holbrook got struck out through a ten-pitch at-bat to give the team two outs.

But Mark Shallenberger would steal second off the dropped third strike there. Then, Hughesville grad Jacob Corson delivered a well-placed grounder straight down the middle of the field, with Shallenberger just diving home just before Trenton centerfielder Ryan Vogel’s putout attempt reached his catcher.

“Right away, we bounced back,” said Hanigan on the effort. “We wouldn’t have been able to do that 3-4 weeks ago, and that just shows the confidence we’ve built as a team, the ability to continue to grind, not lose focus, not give up, not hang our heads and to just play with some confidence.”

With that extra effort, the lead was theirs and wouldn’t change hands for the rest of the game. Though the Thunder were able to put up a run in the ninth, it came after the Cutters had added an insurance run in the sixth.

The Crosscutters celebrate their 2024 MLB Draft League Championship at Journey Bank Ballpark. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

An excellent pitching effort from starter Joshua Lanham and reliever Shaun Gamelin kept the team in the game after the team went down and helped it maintain its lead when it responded, with the pair posting five scoreless innings from the fourth to the eighth.

And when Trenton logged a late run on Gamelin, reliable closer Parker Kruglewicz came in and did what he does best, securing his third save of the season with a ballpark-erupting strikeout to close out the title.

“Our pitching staff pitched really well,” said Hanigan on his pitching staff. “It’s been fantastic all year, starters and bullpen.”

“Staying composed for me was huge, giving those guys two extra innings,” said Lanham, who posted his first win with the team on the grandest stage. “(Those scoreless innings) were huge for the hitters and the hitters were able to get us some momentum.”

Three Cutters logged two hits on the day in Shallenberger, Taylor and third baseman Michael Florides, eight logged at least one and all nine made it on base at least once. Overall, the team combined for a batting average of .314. And although it left 11 runners on base, it gave itself enough opportunities to make it count.

The Crosscutters celebrate their 2024 MLB Draft League Championship at Journey Bank Ballpark. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

It was a memorable win for the players, coaching staff, fans and organization as a whole, with fireworks and champagne showers accompanying an exciting, historic result.

“Go Crosscutters. I’m glad to be a part of it,” expressing Lanham on the experience.

“I’ve never had a champagne shower before. That was my first ever,” laughed Brown. “That was super fun.”

“They’ve done nothing but support us,” said Hanigan on the organization. “At the end of the day, bringing a championship home to the town of Williamsport, to the front office and to the team here, we were happy to be able to gel as a team and come through with the big win.”

The Crosscutters celebrate their 2024 MLB Draft League Championship at Journey Bank Ballpark. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

The Crosscutters celebrate their 2024 MLB Draft League Championship at Journey Bank Ballpark. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

The Crosscutters celebrate their 2024 MLB Draft League Championship at Journey Bank Ballpark. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

The Crosscutters celebrate their 2024 MLB Draft League Championship at Journey Bank Ballpark. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

The Crosscutters celebrate their 2024 MLB Draft League Championship at Journey Bank Ballpark. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette