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Crosscutters beat Frederick 6-4 thanks to weather interference

By NICOLAS SEVERINI 4 min read

The Williamsport Crosscutters received a win thanks to Mother Nature on Wednesday night by defeating the Frederick Keys, 6-4, at Bowman Field. The win came in controversial fashion for Williamsport.

The game was called midway through the seventh inning with Frederick winning 7-6. Due to MLB Draft League rules, since Williamsport did not have a chance to bat, the score reverts back to the sixth inning, which had Williamsport up 6-4.

Williamsport brought out Ryan Ure to start the game. Appearing for just the second time with Williamsport and first as a starter, he would get into trouble early with a Trey Lipsey double leading off the game.

Lipsey would score two batters later, with Dawson Willis driving home the leadoff man to make it 1-0. The Keys would continue loading the pressure, loading the bases with one away and prompting an early meeting at the mound.

But Ure stood tall, getting a force out at home and a strikeout to limit the early damage.

However, extra bases would befall the Cutters in the second, this time with one out as No. 9 hitter Truitt Madonna went to second on one in the gap. Madonna too would score two batters later, with Eddie Hacopian slapping a base hit to double the Frederick advantage.

Held with a whimper through four, Williamsport would come alive in the fifth starting with a leadoff Matthew Bardowell single. A spoiled double play ball would put Bardowell on second with Ryan Kennell at first and, with one out, an Armani Newton groundout put the pair in scoring position. A Boston Smith walk would load the bases, with the pair of Bardowell and Kennell scoring without another at bat. Bardowell would break the goose egg on a wild pitch, with Kennell scoring as Boston Smith got caught in an intentional run down, being tagged for the third out only after Kennel crossed home plate. The small ball shenanigans allowed Williamsport to tie things at two through five.

But two more Frederick runs would come in the sixth, starting with a pair of one out singles from Lance Trippel and Jose Silva. A Shane Lewis walk loaded the bases for Truitt Madonna, who would give the visitors the lead on a sacrifice fly.

Silva would tag to third in the process, and score in the next at bat when a bad throw from Boston Smith to reliever Tyler Dietz allowed Silva home to make it 4-2.

But Williamsport proved they were one to tango, quickly loading the bases to start the bottom half with a Taeg Gollert hit by pitch, Logan Johnstone single, and Hayden Jatczak walk. Facing an 0-2 count, Matthew Graveline did his part, blooping a single to left field that brought in Matt Ilgenfritz, who pinch ran for Gollert, and Johnstone to tie the game once again.

The would last just one out, after a groundout moved two in scoring a position, a wild pitch from reliever Cooper Robinson brought in Jatczak to give the Cutters the lead right back. Another run would score in the inning from a groundout, making it 6-4 Williamsport.

And like the last lead change, Frederick had a response, with a leadoff Trey Lipsey walk and Eddie Hacopian single putting two on. A Tyler Dietz strikeout looked to have settled the waters, only for back to back RBI singles from Anthony Diaz and Lance Trippel to cut the sides level once again.

The Keys would get the go-ahead run on the base paths, with a perfectly executed double steal scoring Diaz to make it 7-6 midway through the seventh.

However, due to the Draft League rules, Frederick's seventh inning comeback would not count, granting Williamsport the win.

The victory moves Williamsport to 7-3 on the season, keeping them in second position in the MLB Draft League. Williamsport will look for the two game sweep Thursday, with Williamsport hosting Frederick in the series finale at Bowman Field.

Starting at /week.