Cutters Provide Late Fireworks
Williamsport, PA -- The Williamsport Crosscutters connected on a pair of home runs in their 7-6 come-from-behind win against Batavia as they complete their second home series sweep of the season. Williamsport remains perfect at home, starting the season 7-0 at BB&T Ballpark.
Adonis Medina was forced to leave his fourth start of the season in the second inning, facing just five batters. The right-hander took a J.J. Gould ground ball off the back of his right leg to start the 2nd. Medina, faced one more batter, but would exit after a triple by Aaron Knapp.
Blake Quinn entered to relieve Medina with Knapp aboard and one out. Quinn allowed a base hit to Isaiah White that scored Knapp to give Batavia a 1-0 lead early. The run, charged to Medina, was the first that Medina had allowed in his 22.1 innings pitched this season.
After Batavia plated their second run of the night in the top of the 4th inning to take a 2-0 lead, the Crosscutters bats came to life in the bottom half of the frame. Darick Hall got the scoring started with a two-out RBI single to score Luke Maglich, cutting the deficit to 2-1.
Arquimedes Gamboa followed the Hall single with a single of his own to right field. On the play, Muckdogs right fielder Jhonny Santos misplayed the ball which rolled to the wall. Hall came around to score, tying the game 2-2, while Gamboa stopped at 3rd base. Brett Barbier capped the scoring in the inning with a go-ahead RBI double to center, scoring Gamboa easily and giving the Cutters their first lead at 3-2.
Luke Maglich continued his hot streak with a RBI triple in the bottom of the 5th inning, plating Enmanuel Garcia to extend the Cutters lead to 4-2. For Maglich, it was his team-high 7th RBI.
Batavia got a run back in the top of the 6th inning cutting the Cutters lead to 4-3, but Williamsport would answer in the bottom half thanks to a sacrifice fly by William Cuicas that brought home Arquimedes Gamboa to push the lead back to two runs at 5-3.
The Muckdogs were able to tie the game at 5-5 in the top of the 7th against Cutters reliever Alex Kline. But, just as in the 4th inning and the 6th inning, the Cutters responded in the bottom of the 7th.
David Martinelli led off the inning by driving the first pitch he saw from Sam Perez deep over the wall in right field, giving Williamsport a 6-5 lead. For Martinelli, it was his 2nd home run of the season and his fourth RBI.
Darick Hall followed suit, leading off the bottom of the eight inning with a titanic blast over the wall in right-center extending the Williamsport lead to 7-5. For Hall, it was his 3rd home run of the season and his fifth RBI of the season.
Batavia scratched a run across in the top of the 9th inning against Kline to make it 7-6, but Scott Harris entered to pick up the final two outs of the game, closing out his first win of the season. It was Harris' first save opportunity since 2014 when he was with the Lakewood Blue Claws.
Williamsport hits the road for a three-game series in Norwich, Connecticut against the Tigers. JoJo Ramirez will make his professional debut in a start for the Williamsport Crosscutters. He will be opposed by Locke St. John, who will be making his fourth start for the Connecticut Tigers. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
Cutter Carvings - Cutters remain the only team in the New York-Penn League to not have a loss at home this season...The seven runs scored by Williamsport were the most scored in a home game this season...It was the third multi-home run game for the Cutters this season and their first at BB&T Ballpark...