Written by Mahaley Wise

An unfinished game for the Cropdusters and Giants was a back-and-forth nail-biter that was paused on June 26. When it resumed on July 2, it ended with a Cropduster rally to win it all. The game was a test of endurance and performance for both teams as they battled for the lead. Each inning brought new, exciting runs and plays for the teams.

The Cropdusters captured the lead in the first inning with two runs. Andrew Kell (Salisbury) started the inning with a line drive double to right field, tucking it nicely into the corner. Cade Walter (Jacksonville) followed with a single, sending Kell to third. A wild pitch by the Giants pitcher sent Kell home to score the first run of the inning. Walter was soon to follow his trip home on a groundout by Tyler Cook (Troy University).  The Giants closed the inning with a strikeout and kept the Cropdusters from scoring any more runs. 

Tore Indomenico (Notre Dame) had an excellent performance for the Cropdusters, pitching over three scoreless innings and striking out four. 

Lightning lingered in the background of the game, creating a thrilling stage for the Giants in the third inning. With two outs, Magnus Krieger (Seton Hall) hit a single and advanced to second on an error by the shortstop. Michael Contilano (Seton Hall) repeated the single and sent Krieger home. The sky might have created a lightning storm, but Joey Nicholson brought the thunder, crushing a home run over the left-center field wall, scoring two more runs for the Giants. This gave the Giants the lead with a score of 3-2. 

The Cropdusters brought their own storm in the fourth inning, generating static on the basepaths and tying the game with an additional run. Ayden Frey (Delaware) and Jaden Knight (Notre Dame) both walked to put a runner in scoring position. After a tense moment caused by umpire interference and false presumptions of an earned run for the Cropdusters, Brian Scott (Frostburg State) brought the runner home safely. However, they were unable to score any extra runs, and the game was held at a tie. 

In the fifth inning, the Cropdusters continued to strike hard at the plate and create friction on the bases. A single by Walter put runners on the corners after a walk from Kell. Zakye Hawkins (Utah) hit a groundout that sent Kell home and advanced to first base safely after an error by the Giants' shortstop. The excitement continued after a pitching change by the Giants, as Frey threaded a single through the first and second basemen to bring Walter home and advance the Cropduster lead, 5-3. 

In the sixth inning, the Giants became electric, scoring four runs and taking the lead over the Cropdusters. The chaos of the evening raised tensions to their boiling points. In the sixth inning, with two outs and desperate for one more, the Cropdusters found themselves battling to shut the Giants down. 

It started with a lead-off walk by Jacob Bunch (Pitt CC), followed by a double from Krieger putting two runners in scoring position. A ground out by Contiliano allowed Bunch to score. Two more walks followed, loading the bases and putting pressure on the Cropdusters, only an out away for a chance to make up the runs. An error by the second baseman allowed Krieger and Nichlson to score two more runs. Ryan Maxey (St Johns River State College) was able to score on an error by the pitcher, then Brady Ruiz-Weiss (Yale) scored on a wild pitch, giving them a three-run lead. The Cropdusters were able to close out the inning, now down 8-5. Then, they ran into their curfew at First Responder Field in Olney, postponing the conclusion of the game until Wednesday, July 2 in Gaithersburg. 

When they retook the field a week later, the Cropdusters slowly made their rise to overtake the Giants' advantage. In the seventh inning, Hawkins started with a lead-off walk, making his way around the bases with sharp baserunning to cut the deficit to two. The Cropdusters still trailed the Giants, 8-6.

The Giants earned the run back in the eighth inning, started by a single from Nate Hawton-Henley (Maryland). A double by Maxey put runners on the corners and a man in scoring position. Hawton-Henley earned a run on a wild pitch again, making it a three-run deficit for the Cropdusters. 

In the eighth inning, eager to make up the runs, the Cropdusters hustled onto the field. They would score four runs in the span of the inning and take the lead by one run. Scott and RJ Cromarite (Notre Dame) reach first and second to put a man in scoring position. Walter came to bat and struck a double to bring Scott and Cromartie home, getting them closer to the Giants' lead. Hawkins kept the momentum going with a single to put Walter on third. An error by the third baseman sent Walter and Hawkins home to overtake the Giants' lead, 10-9. 

The game was a never-ending battle between the teams as they struggled to take and keep the lead. The Cropdusters were the ones to prove victorious, beating the Giants out by a one-run advantage, 10-9.