State College, P.A. – A pair of home runs from Cole Stobbe and Greg Pickett backed an outstanding start from Kyle Young as the Williamsport Crosscutters opened the season with a 9-2 win over the State College Spikes.
It didn’t take long for Cole Stobbe to make an impact in a Crosscutters uniform, drilling the first pitch he saw against Spikes starter Sam Tawes well over the left field wall to give the Cutters a 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning.
Williamsport would add on in the top of the 3rd inning against Tewes, getting a RBI double from Jhailyn Ortiz that plated Juan Luis who had led off the inning with a single to center. For Ortiz, it was his 1st hit in a Cutters uniform.
With Ortiz standing on 2nd base, Greg Pickett took Tewes over the right center field wall for a two-run home run extending the Cutters lead to 4-0 in the top of the 3rd inning. The home run was the first of the season for the left-handed first basemen.
Pickett would aid in extending the Crosscutters lead in the 6th inning, ripping a 1-0 Steven Farinaro offering into right field that scored Jhailyn Ortiz from 3rd base to give Pickett his 3rd RBI on the night and give the Cutters a 5-0 lead in the top of the 6th.
State College would get on the board against Williamsport’s bullpen, when Ricardo Bautista launched a Andrew Brown offering into the bleachers on top of the wall in right field, driving in the two lone runs for the defending New York-Penn League champions.
The Cutters would get those two runs back and then some in the top of the 8th inning, which was sparked by a lead off triple from Josh Stephen and followed by a walk of Jhailyn Ortiz. After a one out walk of Cole Stobbe to load the bases, Jesus Henriquez roped a two-run double down the right field line that plated both Stephen and Ortiz giving the Cutters a 7-2 lead.
Rodolfo Duran followed with a sacrifice fly to center field, plating Stobbe from 3rd base, extending the Cutters lead to 8-2. Juan Luis would put a cap on the Crosscutters scoring with a RBI flare into shallow left field, scoring Henriquez and giving the Cutters their 9-2 lead.
Kyle Long was outstanding in his Crosscutters debut, tossing five shutout innings allowing just two hits while walking one and striking out six Spikes batters en route to earning his first win of the season.
Andrew Brown relieved Long to start the 6th inning, tossing a pair of innings. Brown was strong, striking out four batters, with his lone blemish coming on the two-run home run by Ricardo Bautista.
Luis Ramirez pitched the final two innings, allowing just a base hit as he recorded the final six outs of the ballgame.
The Crosscutters will open their home portion of the 2017 season tomorrow night as they welcome in the State College Spikes to the newly renovated BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Gustavo Armas is scheduled to start for the Crosscutters.
Cutter Carvings – The Crosscutters will be home for the next four games, playing State College tomorrow night before welcoming in West Virginia for a three-game set with the Black Bears…The Cutters improved to 8-2 against the State College Spikes on Opening Night games…Williamsport pounded out 9 hits to the win…
