Crosscutters Win Wild Extra-Inning Game at West Virginia

Morgantown, W.V. - Bryson Stott doubled home the winning run in the top of the 10th in a crazy 8-7 win at the West Virginia Black Bears on Monday night. The Crosscutters had a 7-0 lead in the sixth inning on the strength of a five RBI performance by Hunter Hearn but the Black Bears battled back to force extras.

Hearn clobbered his fourth homer of the season in the first inning and blasted a three-run, bases-clearing double to dead-center in the fourth on his big night. Jake Holmes was 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI. And Corbin Williams was 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and three runs scored including the winning run in the 10th. Williams re-took the NYPL lead in stolen bases with 28. 

The winning hit for Williamsport (26-37), off the bat of Bryson Stott to right-center, was almost denied on a spectacular diving effort by West Virginia center fielder Brett Kinneman but the ball came out of his glove as he landed.

West Virginia (34-28) almost tied the game again in the bottom of the 10th but pitcher Rafael Carvajal (S, 3) fired out a runner at home after a one-hopper back to the mound. Then second baseman Nate Fassnacht made a terrific diving, sliding catch to his left on a hard liner to end the game.
The Crosscutters raced out to the early lead against Black Bears starter J.C. Flowers. Hunter Hearn clobbered a long two-run homer to left in the first inning a couple batters after Jake Holmes had singled and Stott beat out a double-play ball.
Nate Fassnacht raced out an infield single in the second and came around to score on Holmes gapper to left-center for an RBI double giving the Cutters a 3-0 lead.
Hearn stepped in again with the bases loaded in the fourth after a couple singles by Mitch Edwards and Corbin Williams and then Holmes reaching safely on a fielder's choice. Hearn drilled a deep drive to straight-away center off Francis Del Orbe to clear the bases for a career-high five RBI night giving the Cutters a 6-0 lead in the 4th.
In the meantime, Williamsport starter Adam Leverett was terrific in four innings of three-hit shutout ball. It is Leverett's third shutout appearance in his last five outings.
The Cutters tacked on another in the sixth on an RBI single for Holmes that plated Williams who had singled to right and stolen second base.
That's when the Black Bears started their massive comeback. A couple hits against Chris Micheles in the bottom of the sixth set up Blake Sabol for a sac fly and Kyle Wilkie for an RBI double to cut the margin to 7-2.
Another two came around with Jared Triolo's single to left off Rafi Gonell to now make the score 7-4. A couple hard line outs to Hunter Hearn in right with two runners on base kept the Bears from coming even closer in that rally.
One run in the eighth made matters even more interesting with a couple singles for MAtt Gorski and Fernando Villegas setting up Brett Kinneman's RBI fielder's choice. The Black Bears had the tying men on base but Gonell worked out of it with a strike out and fly out.
A couple singles and an error brought in lead-off man Matt Gorski to make the score 7-6. Kinneman beat out a double-play ball to allow Wilkie to come home with the tying run in the bottom of the ninth forcing extras.
But Stott's winning hit to right-center scoring Williams proved to be the difference as the Cutters would hold West Virginia off the board in the bottom of the tenth to preserve the win.

The Crosscutters improved to 16-10 in the second half of the season after going 10-27 in the first half.

Williamsport returns from the NYPL All-Star Break on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. hosting the Mahoning Valley Scrappers (CLE) with LHP Junior Tejada the probable for the Cutters.
Cutters Carvings:
- Williamsport took 2 out of 3 at first-place West Virginia and has won four of its last five. 
- The Crosscutters were 4-2 on their six-game road-trip with one game cancelled due to rain.
- Corbin Williams re-took the league lead in steals after surrendering ownership to J.D. Orr for just one day.
- Hearn's five RBI's were a career high. Holmes also set a high with his three hits. 
- Williamsport finished the season series against West Virginia at 5-9 including 4-6 in Morgantown. 
- Just 12 games remain in the regular season which ends in two weeks. Williamsport will play eight at home and four on the road.
- Four players will represent the Crosscutters at the NYPL All-Star Game in Staten Island on Wednesday: Logan O'Hoppe, Kendall Simmons, Bryson Stott, Corbin Williams