Frederick, MD– The Frederick Keys (12-12) defeated the Trenton Thunder (6-16) on Friday night by a final score of 4-1 at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium.

After Trenton got out to a 1-0 lead after the top of the 1st, Alex Baeza (Utah) launched his team-leading seventh home run of the summer off his former Utah teammate and Trenton’s starting right-hander Matthew Sox. It was a three-run home run that snatched the lead away from the Thunder.

An RBI single by Hunter Jump (Kentucky) to left-field added another run for Frederick in the 4th to extend the lead to three.

The Frederick pitching staff struck out 14 Trenton hitters on the night. The 14 strikeouts are one shy of the second-half high for the Keys pitching staff.

Starting right-hander Drew Minter (Incarnate Word) struck out a season-high eight over 5.0 innings pitched, earning the win.

The bullpen of Ben Davis (Lewis University), Jose Suero (Wayland Baptist) and Jacob Schultz (Louisiana-Lafayette) combined for six more strikeouts with Schultz locking down his fourth save of the summer.

The Keys will return to Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium tomorrow, August 20, against the Trenton Thunder for the second game of a three-game series. First pitch on Saturday is scheduled for 6:00 pm.

The first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a Cedric Mullins bobblehead.

For more information on the Frederick Keys, please contact Gareth Kwok at gkwok@FrederickKeys.com.