FREDERICK, MD – The Frederick Keys finished the first half strong with a come-from-behind victory over the Trenton Thunder Saturday night, winning the two-game series finale by a score of 10-4 at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium.
The Keys scored 10 runs in the final three innings of offense in the second game of the two-game series at home, and finished the first half with a 14-18 record through 32 games of action.
Trenton started fast with a three-run top of the first off two base hits, handing the visitors a 3-0 lead after one inning as the Keys went scoreless in the bottom of the frame.
After both sides went scoreless in the second, Chieh-Han Huang (Taiwan College) recorded his second straight scoreless inning in the top of the third, keeping it a 3-0 game entering the fourth Saturday night.
Following a scoreless fourth inning for the Keys and Thunder, each team traded zeros in the fifth once more, as both pitchers remained through the first five innings at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium.
The Thunder added one run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth, but an RBI single from Walter Urbon (Loyola HS) and a two-RBI single from Trey Lipsey (Ohio State) cut the deficit to just one at 4-3 entering the seventh in the Key City.
Frederick rallied for a four-run bottom of the seventh after an RBI from Dawson Willis (Oklahoma) and a three-run scoring play on a sacrifice play put the home team ahead for the first time all game up 7-4 heading into the eighth in the first half finale.
Willis hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to extend the lead to 10-4 for Frederick, as Jacob Phillips (Georgia Southern) looked to close it out with the Keys having their largest lead at six entering the ninth.
Phillips went on to close out the night with a scoreless ninth inning, securing the victory for Frederick and capping off the first half with a 10-4 victory in front of over 6,000 fans at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium.
The Keys move forward to the second half and will begin second half play on Wednesday on the road against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. from Eastwood Field Wednesday night.
