STATE COLLEGE, PA – The Frederick Keys earned a series opening win Tuesday night over the State College Spikes, winning by a score of 8-5 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
The Keys led wire-to-wire enroute to the series opening win, as despite a late rally by the Spikes, Frederick held on and took down State College in the first of three games in central Pennsylvania.
After both teams started out the night by going scoreless in the first, Frederick scored the game’s first run on an RBI double off the bat of Taj Bates (Southern) handing the visitors an early 1-0 lead heading into the third following a scoreless bottom of the frame from David Shaw (California).
As both teams went scoreless in the third courtesy of a double play in the bottom of the third from the Keys infield, Shaw worked through a fourth scoreless inning during the bottom of the fourth, keeping the Keys ahead by one entering the fifth in Happy Valley.
Frederick added to the lead by five in the top of the fifth off a State College error and an RBI single from Tervell Johnson (Seattle), with a second Spikes error and a two-RBI single from Anthony Diaz (College of Central Florida) giving the Keys a 6-0 lead going into the sixth at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
Shane Lewis (Troy) added two more runs in the top of the sixth on a two-RBI single, and despite State College adding one run in the bottom of the frame, Frederick still took a seven-run lead heading into the seventh Wednesday night.
Following a scoreless bottom of the seventh inning for both sides, the Spikes cut the deficit to three off several RBI singles and a wild pitch, but the visitors still took a three-run lead approaching the ninth in the series opener.
Jack Bowery (Northeastern) closed out the game by getting a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth inning, sealing the series opening win for Frederick by a score of 8-5 Tuesday night in Happy Valley.
Frederick continues the three-game series against State College Wednesday night, with first pitch from Medlar Field at Lubrano Park set for 6:35 p.m.
