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Grays silence Thunder

By Nicolas Severini 4 min read

The Williamsport Crosscutters didn't let the air quality take the wind out of their sails Friday night, decimating the Trenton Thunder 9-2 at Historic Bowman Field.

Another Crosscutter offensive avalanche made the difference on the night, with a six run third inning providing a cushioned lead that the Cutters never relinquished.

"It was a good third inning that we had," said Williamsport Crosscutter manager Kenny Thomas. "It got contagious there and next thing you know, everyone's getting on. It felt good to get that lead."

After a scoreless first inning, it would be the visitors drawing first blood in emphatic fashion. Leading off the second inning, Trenton five hole hitter Julian Swift continued his excellent start to the second half when he lifted a fastball 362 feet just past the left field wall, Swift's solo shot was his first home run of the season.

But Williamsport would find a quick response in the bottom of the frame. With one out and runners on first and second, debutant Jake Kail made his entrance an eloquent one when he slapped a single to right field for a tie.

Making his first appearance in Williamsport as a Cutter next up, catcher Joey DiMucci already had made an impression to the home fans defensively when he threw out a baserunner going to second for the first out of the game. Not to outdo himself, he would give the Cutters the lead in his first at-bat at Bowman when he grounded out at third. The proceeding throw allowed a baserunner to cross home for a 2-1 Williamsport advantage.

The Cutters would extend their lead in the third, starting with back to back singles from Owen Prince and Ehi Okojie. After a wild pitch from Trenton starter Jackson Thomas put the pair in scoring position, a second wild throw in a row allowed Prince to score outright.

A batter later, Okojie would come in off of an infield single from Sam DeCarlo for a 4-1 lead. DeCarlo would get tagged out on the base paths attempting to stretch the corners off of a Nicholas Romano single. However, after a Carson Bayne ground rule double, Jackson Thomas' pitching tenure on the night would come to an end. Trenton's starter would make it just two and two thirds of an inning, giving up six runs on six hits with two walks and a strikeouts.

The last two runs on Thomas' account were paid for by Jake Kail. Now facing reliever Gerland Hanson, Kail would turn his debut from great to near perfect when he blasted a two run single into left field.

"I saw a lot of things I liked out of him tonight," discussed Kail. "He's a little bulldog and you know me, that's what I like."

But the Cutter bats weren't done, loading the bases off back to back singles from Joey DeMucci and Chris Stanfield. Prince, in his second at-bat of the inning, blew the game out of proportion on another two run single into the corner. In sum, the Cutters put six runs on the board off of nine hits for an 8-1 lead after three.

After stranding the bases loaded in the fourth inning, Billtown made sure not to be wasteful in the bottom of the fifth. After juicing the paths with one out from walks to Chris Stanfield, Owen Prince, and James McCoy, Sam Decarlo would net another RBI when he blooped a single to right to score Stanfield.

The runs provided a comfortable platform for Williamspoort starter Ryker Walton who was dominant after a second inning slipup. By the time he was relieved after the sixth, the right hander would concede one run in seven innings while conceding four hits, two walks, and two strikeouts.

The only response from Trenton would come in the eighth inning. With a runner on first, pinch hitter Jake McCoy smashed a double that one hopped off the right field wall to complete the 9-2 scoreline.

The win moved Williamsport to 6-2 on the second half season, moving them neck and neck with the Aberdeen Ironbirds for first place in the second half standings. The Cutters will look for another series win on Saturday, with Billtown hosting the Thunder at Historic Bowman Field.

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