Written by Mahaley Wise

Sunday night’s matchup between the Cropdusters and Senators started off as a back and forth battle between the two teams that put some tension on the field. Ultimately the Cropdusters ran away with the game scoring multiple runs in each of the last four innings to win 13-4. 

Cropdusters Head Coach Adam Leader talked to his team before Sunday’s game stating: “We played them really tight this year and they're a good team. We needed this win going into the playoffs.” 

The Cropdusters scored one run in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Cade Walter (Jacksonville) started with a single, staying aggressive by stealing second and third base. He came home on a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Austin Stalker (West Chester). 

The Senators followed with a single run in the same inning to tie the game. Nick Flores (VCU) started with a leadoff double and moved to third on a passed ball. He came home on a fielder’s choice. Unfortunately, the Senators could not capitalize on the runner left on base and remained tied with the Cropdusters. 

However, they broke through in the second inning after keeping the Cropdusters grounded in their half inning. A single by Danny Surowiec (Boston College) created a big opportunity for the Senators. A bobbled ball by the second baseman off the bat of Cale Vinson (Middle Tennessee State) allowed Surowiec to score, putting the Senators in the lead, 2-1.

The Cropdusters battled back, taking the lead in the fourth inning after scoring three runs. Stalker pushed a double to center field, moving to third on a bunt by Carter Richey (VCU). A sacrifice fly by Andrew Kell (Salisbury) sent Stalker home. Angel Santiago Cruz (Richmond) followed with a single to bring in another runner. Another hard-hit single by Walter earned the Cropdusters an extra run, putting them two runs ahead of the Senators, 4-2. 

“I think we had good at bats the entire game. We just started to put things together…we capitalized on their mistakes a little bit and kind of started us going,” Leader said after the game.

The Senators began chipping away at the Cropdusters' lead in the fifth inning, scoring one run. Adam Troch (Duke) advanced to first after working a walk, moving to second on a stolen base. He keeps up the speed, making it home off a single from Logan Tribble (Wofford College). 

However, the Cropdusters got the run back and tacked on another in the sixth inning. Santiago Cruz started with a leadoff single, hustling around the bases to make it to third. His efforts paid off when he brought home on a single by Brian Scott (Frostburg State). With two outs, Jimmy Kirk (Millersville) came to bat. He sent a ball to the center field wall, landing just in front. Scott practically walked home with Kirk rounding the bases for a triple. 

The Cropdusters kept coming in the seventh and eighth inning while the Senators were kept quiet. They scored two runs in each inning. In the seventh a sacrifice fly by Kell sent Walker Zampella (East Stroudsburg) home. Scott singled to drive home Richey. In the eighth, an error by the shortstop allowed Stalker to reach home.

The Senators pushed back in the eighth inning with one run but couldn’t build on the momentum any further. Troch and Tribble hit back-to-back singles that put runners on the corners. Steven Kraus (Binghamton) followed with a sacrifice fly to send Troch for the final Senators run.

On the other hand, the Cropdusters kept adding on runs with three more runs in the ninth. A double by Kirk brought in the first two runs of the inning. Kirk later came home on a single by Stalker to finish off the scoring. The Senators scored no runs in the ninth inning.

The Cropdusters are flying high on a three-game winning streak with one game left until the playoffs.

“We are just trying to take it one game at a time,” Leader said. “Tomorrow is another really big one so we will take of that but I like where our guys are right now especially offensively."