Evan Rogers and Brett Barbier each connected on solo shots as the Williamsport Crosscutters hang on to defeat the Auburn Doubledays 4-3 in the opening game of their three-game series.
Luke Williams gave the Cutters their first lead in the bottom of the 1st inning with a RBI double to deep left-center plating Jesus Alastre. The RBI was the 9th of the season for Williams and gave Williamsport an early 1-0 lead.
Williams wasn’t done providing for the Crosscutters offense as the 3rd basemen brought ho Alastre for a second time with a sacrifice fly to centerfield in the bottom of the 3rd inning, extending the Cutters lead to 2-0 and giving Williams his 10th RBI of the season.
Evan Rogers unloaded on a McKenzie Mills offering in the bottom of the 4th that cleared the wall in left and landed on the street behind the wall. Rogers’ solo home run, his first as a Crosscutter, gave the Cutters a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the 4th inning, it was his 2nd of the season and gave him his 5th RBI.
Brett Barbier felt like joining the party as he drilled a laser of a home run over the left-centerfield wall off of reliever Hayden Howard. Barbier’s home run extended the Cutters lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the 6th inning, giving him two home runs on the season and 8 RBI.
It was the fifth time this season that the Crosscutters hit multiple home runs in a single game. It was also the second time this season the they have done so at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field. The last time Williamsport hit more than one home run in a game was at Connecticut on July 5thwhen Luke Williams and Arquimedes Gamboa connected on a pair of long balls.
JoJo Romero allowed two runs while scattering six hits over six innings. The southpaw struck out five Doubledays batters without allowing a walk on the night. It was the third time this season that Romero hasn’t walked a batter in a start that has gone five innings or more.
Carlos Indriago had a rare off night in relief for the Cutters, allowing a run on three hits and a walk over an inning and a third. Indriago failed to record a strikeout in his outing. It was the first time since July 16th that Indriago did not strike a batter out.
Will Hibbs picked up the final five outs of the game, recording back-to-back strikeouts with the tying run standing at 2nd base in the 9th, to earn his third save of the season. Hibbs finished the night with two strikeouts and working around a walk and a base hit.
Hibbs second and final strikeout came with a little controversy, as it appeared that the ball had been fouled back off the mask of the home plate umpire by Andres Martinez, in which the ball rolled down the first base line. Cather Gregori Rivero picked up the ball and threw to 1st base to retire Mattinez and end the game.
After the game was over, it was revealed that Hibbs had crossed up Rivero, who had called for a breaking ball, but Hibbs fired a fastball past Martinez, and Rivero, straight into the mask of the home plate umpire.
Williamsport continues their series against the Doubledays as Ranger Suarez toes the rubber for the Cutters. First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. at BB&T Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field.
Cutter Carvings – The Doubledays losing streak now sits at 9 games, which ties the longest losing streak in the New York-Penn League this season…The Crosscutters earned their 20th win at BB&T Ballpark this season, as their home record improves to 20-8… It was the Cutters 25th win against the Pinckney division this season.
