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Crosscutters edge out Thunder, secure first regular-season walk off of season

By NICOLAS SEVERINI 5 min read

The Williamsport Crosscutters secured their first regulation walkoff of the season, coming back to hold off the West Virginia Black Bears 8-6 at Historic Bowman Field

After blowing a six run lead in the inning prior, the Cutters would make sure to send the home crowd happy in the ninth inning. With the game tied at six, three hole hitter James McCoy uncorked a leadoff double off the left field wall to move the winning run in scoring position. With West Virginia reliever Andrew Luczak in his third inning of work, his fatigue would show when he hit Matthew Williams with a pitch to put two runners on.

A pitching change allowed Dawson Hall to try and salvage the game into sudden death. A Chris Stanfield groundout, Nick Barone intentional walk, and Owen Prince strikeout led to the bases being juiced with two outs for Jack Kail.

On a 2-2 count, Kail turned on a changeup deep to left field that just landed in fair territory down the line before bouncing out of play. The hit scored both McCoy and Barone, winning the game sparring the blushes of a depleted bullpen.

"We have to understand that we battled," said Williamsport Crosscutter manager Kenny Thomas. "We were outhit 10-5 going into the ninth, they had made some errors that helped us... we didn't really hit like I was hoping we would today, and that's a very big concern. And I know anybody that is a baseball person can see that we are having trouble out of the bullpen. So we got to do better."

After struggling offensively this weekend, the Cutters would get off to an emphatic start in the bottom of the first. Just three pitches into the bottom frame, leadoff hitter Carson Bayne would blast the Cutters ahead on a 375 foot drive to left field that landed in the visitors bullpen. Bayne's solo shot was his second home run of the season.

After a scoreless second, Williamsport would double their lead in the third starting with a leadoff error that put Joey DeMucci at second base, a Carson Bayne walk and DeMucci stolen base to third would bring up Nicholas Romano, who would make it 2-0 Cutters when he grounded out up the middle.

Williamsport's offensive production would remain consistent, loading the bases in the fourth inning on a Chris Stanfield walk, Nick Barone reaching by error, and Sam DeCarlo walk. Two of the three would come home as a result, with Stanfield scoring on a Jack Kail fielder's choice and Nick Barone coming in from a wild pitch by West Virginia starter Ben Barrett.

Barrett would make it through the fourth inning before being relieved, conceding four runs on two hits with three walks and two strikeouts.

The pitching change would not lessen Williamsport's production, who would load the bases again in the fifth on walks to James McCoy and Matthew Williams with Chris Stanfield reaching on another error in the field. With the crowd ready to pop once more, Loyalsock native Nick Barone gave them a reason too when he blooped a two run single into center field.

While West Virginia arms struggled, Williamsport starter Josh Willits put in his best performance of the season. Across six innings pitched, the right hander produced a shutout that saw just two hits with six strikeouts thrown.

"He pitched well and controlled the game," echoed Thomas. "They hit a few balls off of him, but he just battled right out of it every time."

With Willits out, West Virginia would begin to heat up with one out singles from Ian Collier and Ben Barrett to put two runners on. Jackson Trout would officially put the visitors on the board a batter later, ripping a double to left field that scored Collier to make it 6-1.

A Sam Miller walk would load the bases for Kevin Jones, who would put the tying run at the plate with a one run single to left field.

A pitching change from Frankie Sanchexz to Preston Drebes did not stop the momentum, with Cayden Glasken lacing a two run single out to right field for a 6-4 scoreline.

Fearing another late game collapse, Williamsport would create further trauma after the Black Bears loaded the bases in the eighth inning from an Alec DeMartino single, Ben Barrett walk, and Sam Miller single.

With two away, leadoff batter Cayden Gaskin would officially tie the game when he ripped a two run double down the right field line. The six run blown lead was the second time in a week Williamsport blew a lead of five runs or more from the bullpen.

But the crowd would care little by the end of the night, with Kail's walkoff hit catapulting the Cutters for the win with not a strike left to spare.

The win moves Williamsport to 8-7 on the second half season, potentially moving ahead of State College for third place in the second half standings depending on results elsewhere. The Cutters will look for the series win Monday, with Williamsport hosting the Black Bears in game two of a three game set at Bowman Field.

Starting at /week.