Williamsport never got going at the plate, hitting a combined .111 while two innings of three runs or greater for State College sealed the victory for the visitors.

“They wanted to play and we didn’t,” admitted Williamsport Crosscutter manager Kenny Thomas. “We came here and just went through the motions. I said yesterday that as long as there is a scoreboard running it means something. Obviously today, it didn’t mean much to our guys.”

Williamsport starter Leo Giannoni, due to his quick recovery as a submarine pitcher, would start the contest despite just a day of rest. The righty would prove he still had cobwebs early, walking the bases loaded with one out on a Chenar Brown hit by pitch, and base on balls from TJ Salvaggio and Dan Tauken.

Cole Caruso would break the early deadlock, flying out to center field that allowed Brown to score from third. The advantage would double an at-bat later courtesy of Conor Higgs, who slapped a hard hit grounder to left field to bring in Salvaggio.

DeMarckus Smiley of the Williamsport Crosscutters catches a fly ball hit by Adam Paniagua of the Spikes during the sixth inning at Bowman Field. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

The rally would end with Gavin Lewis Jr., who tapped a single to right field to score Tauken for a three run first inning.

Giannoni would recover well throughout his outing before being pulled with two on and one out in the fifth. The submariner would go five and a third of an inning allowing four runs on six hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

“After the first inning he was really good,” described Thomas. “He kept them off balance and I thought he did a great job. Heck, he was at 99 pitches when I took him out.”

Giannoni’s fifth run would score with the starter in the dugout, with reliever Isaac Fix allowing a run to score on a Trotter Boston fielder’s choice to make it 4-0 halfway through the sixth.

While Giannoni was hot and cold, State College starter Ahmed Harajli was impregnable in his start, going seven innings with no runs allowed on three hits, one walk, and 10 strikeouts. With the outing, Harajli’s season earned run average dropped from 8.44 to 6.68.

Christian Reyes of the Williamsport Crosscutters can’t make the tag on the Spike’s Cole Caruso in the sixth inning at Bowman Field. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Fix would run into his own trouble in the top of the eighth, with the reliever getting pulled after loading the bases from a Trotter Boston walk, Adam Paniagua single, and Chenar Brown hit by pitch.

Now facing Holland Townes, Spikes shortstop TJ Salvaggio would put a wrap on the game when he unleashed a 351-foot long flyball that doinked off of the left field foul pole for a grand slam. It was Salvaggio’s fourth home run of the season. It was State College’s first ever grand slam in the month of September.

“I don’t understand our pitch calling,” admitted Thomas. “That’s why in college we call pitches, because we don’t have to look at that kind of stuff right there.”

The grand slam would be the cherry on top for State College, with the bullpen duo of Jack Hagan and Jeff Heinrich blanking the Cutters in the eighth and ninth innings for a shutout win.

In addition to being blanked on the scoreboard, Williamsport would strikeout out 10 times at the plate, only leaving three runners on base during the loss.

Jackson Mayo of the Williamsport Crosscutters can’t get to a ball hit by Cole Caruso of the Spikes in the sixth inning at Bowman Field. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“The thing that bothers me today is I saw guys loafing down the line,” admitted Thomas. “I’ve never tolerated that in my career. You play the game hard up 10 runs down 10 runs, you play the same… but I ain’t got but 11 players and they know that. So we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

The loss drops Williamsport to 19-23-1 on the second-half season, falling to fourth in the MLB Draft League standings. With two games left in the season, the Cutters will look for a comeback Tuesday night when they host the Spikes at 6:35 p.m. at Bowman Field.

Starting pitcher Leo Giannoni of the Williamsport Crosscutters walks off the mound after getting a strike out of retire the side during the fifth inning against the Spikes at Bowman Field. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

DeMarckus Smiley of the Williamsport Crosscutters is tagged out in a run down play in the second inning by Trotter Boston of the Spikes at Bowman Field. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Leo Giannoni of the Williamsport Crosscutters pitches in the first inning against the Spikes at Bowman Field. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette