Cutters Finish 2019 in Suspended Tie Game

Williamsport, Penn. - The Crosscutters season finale on Monday afternoon resulted in an odd and somewhat unsatisfying finish to the 2019 season. With Williamsport and State College tied at 3-3 in the middle of the ninth inning the game was called due to rain thus denying the Cutters a chance for their second walk-off win of the series. The suspended game will not be completed and results in an end-of-season tie. All stats from the game count towards the final statistics.

Williamsport finishes the season at 32-43 including 22-16 in the second half of the campaign after going 10-27 in the first half. 

Rudy Rott was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored and Nicolas Torres added an RBI single as well.

Rafael Carvajal won the team's Pitcher of the Year award before the game and then entered in relief retiring 12 consecutive batters. 

Corbin Williams became the fifth Crosscutter to win the NYPL Stolen Base Crown. His 30 swipes placed him one ahead of J.D. Orr who had 29.

Kendall Simmons finished with 12 home runs which is third-most in Crosscutters history and second-most in the New York-Penn League.
State College took a 2-0 lead in the second inning against Leonel Aponte on a bases-loaded single to right by Luis Flores.
The Cutters bounced back to equalize against Spikes starter Junior Gonzalez on an RBI single for Nicolas Torres in the second that scored Rudy Rott and then an RBI single for Rott in the third that drove home Jake Holmes.
Gonzalez went on to record 11 consecutive outs after that through the sixth inning. Meanwhile Carvajal put away all 12 batters he faced from the third through sixth to maintain the 2-2 deadlock.
State College took the lead in the top of the eighth after a hit batter call on a pitch by Hsin-Chieh Lin glanced off the arm of Donivan Williams who was granted first base despite the protestations of fifth-year Cutters manager Pat Borders. Williams raced around from first to score on an opposite-field single off the top of the wall in left by Terry Fuller.
But the Cutters battled back to tie in the bottom of the eighth with Johan Rojas singling and then stealing second base. He advanced to third on a bunt single by Holmes and then scored on a Simmons sacrifice fly to left that was dropped on the transfer by left fielder Andrew Warner. 
Simmons at third made a spectacular leaping catch on a line drive by Shane Benes to possibly save a run from scoring in the top of the ninth. His incredible vertical leap ended up being the last play of the 2019 season. In the middle of the ninth inning, just as the Cutters were about ready to bat, a bright bolt of lightning cracked down to the north in straight center field prompting an immediate call for a delay from the umpires. Shortly thereafter came the rain which forced the premature conclusion for the contest.

The Crosscutters 2020 Home Opener is Friday, June 19 against State College. The Cutters will open the 2020 season on the road at State College on Thursday, June 18. The full schedule for next season is available at Crosscutters.com

Cutters Carvings:
- Johan Rojas finished first in the NYPL in triples with six and also led the Gulf Coast League with five triples. 
- The Crosscutters were 22-16 in the second half of the season after going 10-27 in the first half.
- Williamsport's 3.14 ERA was third-best out of 14 teams in the NYPL.
- The Crosscutters finished second in stolen bases with 111 trailing only Hudson Valley who had 118. Williamsport was also first in SB attempts with 164.
- Crosscutters catches allowed only 55 stolen bases all season which was third-best in the New York-Penn League. Their 37 caught stealings was tied for fifth.