STATE COLLEGE, PA – The Frederick Keys began their seven-game road trip with a series opening loss to the State College Spikes, falling by a score of 4-0 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Despite a solid pitching performance from the Keys pitching staff, the Spikes held the Frederick offense at bay most of the evening, as the Keys look to split the two-game series Tuesday night on the road.
After both sides went scoreless in the first inning to start out the night, Paul Panduro (Fort Hays State) got his second scoreless frame with a strikeout to end the bottom of the second, keeping it a scoreless ballgame through two innings.
State College scored the game’s first runs of the night on an RBI sacrifice fly and an RBI single, putting the lead up to two going into the fourth Monday night.
The Spikes put home two additional runs in the bottom of the fourth courtesy of two more RBIs, as the home team extended its lead to four heading into the fifth in Happy Valley.
Following a scoreless bottom of the fifth thrown by Panduro to keep it a 4-0 game, he once again got another 1-2-3 in the sixth, as the Keys entered the seventh still down by fourth at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
After Blake Donnan (Bellarmine) got a 1-2-3 inning of his own in the bottom of the seventh, both sides went off the board once again in the eighth, taking the contest into the ninth with the home team still leading 4-0.
The Keys went off the board in the ninth and could not find a way to break through on offense, falling in the series opener in shutout fashion by a score of 4-0.
The Keys and Spikes match up for the second time in as many days Tuesday night on the road, with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
