DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette A Crosscutters hat is seen in the dugout at Bowman Field.

The Williamsport Crosscutters jumped to second place in the MLB Draft League standings, downing the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, 6-3, at Bowman Field on Tuesday. In a bizarre fixture that saw nearly as many errors (four) as hits (five) going into the final inning, it would be an early three-run burst from the Cutters that proved decisive in the win.

“We finally got the majority of the guys here, and they are beginning to gel with each other,” said Williamsport Crosscutter manager Kenny Thomas.

Fresh off a streak of five wins in their last six, Williamsport’s offensive firepower would continue to start the game. The Cutters would load the bases with their first three batters of the game courtesy of walks to Kyle Schupmann and Addison Smith followed by a Nick Barone hit by pitch.

Mahoning Valley starter Hunter Baynes’s struggles would continue, walking Ben Tryon to concede the opening run before being pulled from the game.Recovering from Tommy John surgery, Bayne’s second appearance of the season would prove one to forget.

Both Smith and Barone would manage to score later in the inning against reliever Colton Hartman, touching home on an Owen Prince fielder’s choice for the former and a successful double steal to send in the latter.

Even with the early three-run burst, it would take until the bottom of the fourth inning before either side recorded the hit on the night. Williamsport outfielder Owen Prince would put an end to the drought, slapping an inside single up the middle with one away.

Getting the bug, Brodey Acres would quickly spark excitement in the ballpark an at-bat later, uncorking a long double off the left field wall to bring in Prince for a 4-0 scoreline. While the Cutters continued to cut through, Williamsport starter David Horn Jr. was unbeaten in his four innings pitched, not conceding a run while tossing five strikeouts. His only runner allowed came from a third-nning error in which Josue Malave grounded to short prompting an errant throw.

“He did a great job,” echoed Thomas. “We were excited to see a good start, he pitched last week against (Mahoning) and went four innings and 52 pitches. Tonight? Four innings 52 pitches. He controlled the strike zone and really gave us a good start.”

Now facing Kurt Barr, Mahoning Valley would waste no time answering back. After a leadoff walk from James Whitman, Tommy Harrison would introduce himself to the Williamsport crowd in style with a 407-foot home run that cleared the right field bullpen to trim Williamsport’s lead in half.

Controversy would overtake the bottom of the fifth. With one out and Addison Smith at first, the two-hole hitter would successfully steal second in an attempt to get to scoring position. The charge would be nullified however by home plate umpire Jason Storlie, who ruled batters interference on Loyalsock graduate Nick Barone at the plate. The second out sent back Smith, drawing intense ire from Kenny Thomas who was nearly ejected from the contest after going face to face with Storlie.

“(I saw) the oldest trick in the book,” Thomas discussed. “If you’re not gonna throw him out, bump into the batter; and I thought that’s what he did.”

Williamsport would load up the bases in the inning, with an Owen Prince strikeout leaving them stranded and the scoreline the same.

The Crosscutters would eventually find a burst in the eighth inning, starting with a one out single and stolen base from Brodey Acres. Zero for three on the night going into the at-bat, Slide Burd would quickly rectify his night with an RBI double down the right field line.

Back-to-back walks to Montoursville graduate Maddix Dalena and Kyle Schupman would set up Addison Smith, who caused a fielding error on a grounder to short to provide the second run of the inning and a 6-2 lead.

Mahoning Valley’s bats provided a threat in the ninth, with a James Whitman single scoring Edison Polanco to put the tying run on deck. But closer Dallis Moran would quickly put a late comeback to rest, striking out Tommy Harrison to give Williamsport a decisive win to open the series.

The win marks six victories in the last seven games for the Cutters, who move to 7-5 on the season with a second-place mark in the league. The Cutters will look to increase their winning streak Wednesday, when they host the Scrappers for a 6:35 first pitch at Bowman Field.