Williamsport, PA- The Frederick Keys earned their sixth straight victory Friday night against the first place Williamsport Crosscutters, winning the game by a score of 4-2 at Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field.
The Keys never let the Crosscutters take the lead throughout the contest and won the first game of the three-game series as a result, while also winning their 11th game overall of the first half of the season.
Frederick scored the game’s first runs in the top of the first off an RBI sacrifice fly from Daylan Pena (Texas St) and an RBI double from Johnny Castagnozzi (North Carolina), giving the visitors an early 2-0 lead through a half inning of play.
Despite Williamsport getting a run back in the bottom of the first, Justin Needles (UNC Asheville) finished the inning strong and kept it a 2-1 game heading into the second in Williamsport.
Following a scoreless second inning on both sides, the Crosscutters tied it back up at two apiece on a throwing error, but two more strikeouts from Needles allowed the Keys to stay evened at two going into the fourth Friday night.
After each team went scoreless in the fourth, Evan Yates (Cal State Fullerton) picked up a scoreless bottom of the fifth on the hill, keeping the game knotted up at two apiece heading into the sixth at Journey Bank Ballpark.
Pena hit a solo homer in the top of the sixth to hand the Keys the lead back at 3-2, and Yates followed it up with another scoreless inning of relief in the bottom of the frame, taking the contest into the seventh with Frederick still up by one.
In the seventh, an RBI single from Justin Thomas (Florida Southwestern State) pushed the lead back up two, making it a 4-2 game entering the eighth, after Yates recorded a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh on the mound.
P.J. Labriola (North Carolina State) recorded two strikeouts on the mound in the bottom of the eighth, allowing the Keys to go into the ninth ahead by two at 4-2 in Williamsport.
After the Keys went scoreless in the top of the frame, Valek Cisneros (Central Oklahoma) finished the game strong with a scoreless bottom of the ninth, handing Frederick its sixth straight win Friday night by a score of 4-2.
Following cancellations on Saturday and Sunday, the Keys will return home to take on the Trenton Thunder Tuesday night, with first pitch set for 7 p.m. at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium.
It will be the second Taphouse Tuesday of the season at the ballpark Tuesday night, meaning that specials featuring local craft breweries will be on display at the 4 ½ Innings Taphouse.
