NILES, OH – The Frederick Keys earned the series opening win against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers Saturday night, winning by a score of 5-3 at Eastwood Field.
The Keys used a two-run top of the eighth inning to take down the Scrappers in the first of two games on the road, as Frederick earned their 10th win of the season as a result heading into the final week of the first half.
Chieh-Han Huang (Taiwan College) started out his night strong with a 1-2-3 bottom of the first on the mound, keeping it a scoreless ballgame after one inning of play Saturday night.
The Scrappers struck first in the bottom of the second on an RBI single, handing the home team an early 1-0 lead through two innings of play at Eastwood Field.
Lance Trippel (South Florida) tied the game at one on an RBI single in the top of the third, but Mahoning Valley retook the lead on an RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom of the frame, giving the Scrappers a 2-1 advantage entering the fourth in Niles.
After both teams went scoreless in the fourth, Huang recorded another 1-2-3 frame in the bottom of the fifth, keeping it a 2-1 game going into the sixth, with both teams trading zeros back and forth in the middle innings.
RBI doubles from Anthony Diaz (College of Central Florida) and Trey Lipsey (Ohio State) handed the Keys the lead in the top of the sixth by a score of 3-2, as Frederick took their first lead of the night by one following five and a half innings of play in the series opener.
Despite the Scrappers tying in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single, Huang finished a quality start after allowing just three runs in six innings, as the contest progressed into the seventh with Frederick and Mahoning Valley tied at three.
Following a scoreless seventh inning for both sides, Dawson Willis (Oklahoma) recorded a two-RBI double, handing the Keys a 5-3 advantage entering the bottom of the eighth on the road.
Dax Dathe (Angelo St) threw a scoreless bottom of the eighth to keep it a two-run game approaching the ninth, as Frederick looked to finish the job in the final full frame Saturday night.
Dathe finished the night with a third scoreless inning in the bottom of the ninth, securing the win for Frederick as the Keys won the series opener Saturday night by a score of 5-3.
The Keys finish up the three-game road trip against the Scrappers Sunday afternoon, with first pitch set for 2:05 p.m. at Eastwood Field.
