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Cutters win MLB Draft League title by beating Aberdeen

By NICOLAS SEVERINI 4 min read

In front of a ruckus 2,486 spectators in attendance, the Williamsport Crosscutters would fend off fast base running, an elite hitting core and even mother nature to capture their second ever Draft League title, besting the Aberdeen IronBirds at Bowman Field, 5-3.

"The guys just played so hard," said Williamsport Crosscutters manager Kenny Thomas. "I said last night that we were going to have to win it at the mound; that we were a bit tired offensively … and whew, it was tense all the way to the last out.

After threatening in the first inning with a runner in scoring position, Aberdeen would promptly strike first in the top of the second. Max Galvin would up the threat early, reaching on a leadoff walk before a one out CJ Dean single put runners at the corners.

Itching to come home and now with two away, nine-hole hitter Bryan West would earn his spot in the lineup when he laced a double down the left field line that brought in Galvin.

Looking to replicate from the bottom of the lineup, Williamsport would get their bottom two batters on base in the bottom of the third on a Sam DeCarlo fielder's choice and Joey DeMucci hit by pitch. With the pair on first and second, fan favorite leadoffman Chris Stanfield would provide the first crowd pop on a bloop single to center field that scored DeCarlo to tie the game.

With only one out, Jack Kail would slice a line drive down the right-field line that barely managed to drop into fair territory. By the time the ball was back within the diamond, the bases were cleared and Kail was at second for a bases clearing double that made it 3-1 after three.

Williamsport starter Bobby Helt would recover from the second and keep the IronBirds off the scoreboard for the rest of his four-inning outing. When his outing concluded, the right-hander would finish with one run conceded across four frames with two walks, four hits, and six strikeouts.

A stalwart all season, Williamsport's defense would be a catalyst against them in the top of the sixth inning. With Josh Willits in his second inning of work, a pair of errors from first baseman Matthew Williams and shortstop Sam DeCarlo put Aberdeen runners at the corners.

With one out, catcher Taj Bates would turn his evening around when he dropped a one run single to left field, cutting the lead to one.

With Aberdeen starter Josh Milleville entering his sixth inning of work, the Cutters would look to lay pressure one with a James McCoy single and Matthew Williams hit by pitch. The pair would both advance to scoring position on a wild pitch, with both coming in to score after a Nicholas Romano groundout and Nick Barone one run single for a 5-2 score line after six.

Milleville would make it through six innings before being relieved, finishing with five runs allowed on six hits with a walk and three strikeouts.

Meanwhile, Willits would run into trouble in his third inning of relief, conceding a runner on second with two outs by the name of Patrick McCullough. McCullough would represent the third run for Aberdeen courtesy of, once again, Bates. On a daunting nine pitch at-bat, the catcher uncorked a single to left field to pull Willits and cut the lead to two.

Matthew Mariano would be the one to seal the deal, recording a four out save despite the ninth inning being played under a downpour.

"If I could have drawn it up before the game, that is how I would have drawn the pitching up," echoed Thomas. "Bobby (Helt) four, Josh (Willits) four, and finish it with one of the guys in the bullpen."

Williamsport's win secured the first MLB Draft League triple crown in League history by earning the first-half title, second-half title and overall championship title. Overall, the Cutters' 48 wins tie the 2022 West Virginia Black Bears for most wins in league history.

Thomas and hitting coach Sean Miller both took their second piece of championship hardware, with the pair winning in 2023 as a hitting coach and bench coach, respectively, with Williamsport.

"All we preached everyday was you got to be prepared every day, you have to commit to the routine, and we are gonna respect the game and play hard every day," concluded Thomas. "I don't know if we were the most talented team. I mean, look around. But we made the most with what we have, and I am so proud of them. So very, very proud of them."

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