WILLIAMSPORT, PA – The Frederick Keys won their fourth straight game Saturday night in the first of two games against the Williamsport Crosscutters, earning the series opening win by a score of 2-2 with Frederick winning the tiebreaker at Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field.
The Keys held the Crosscutters scoreless in the sudden death tiebreaker to secure the victory and are on a four-game winning streak for the first time all season courtesy of the victory.
Williamsport struck first in the bottom of the first on an RBI single, giving the home team an early 1-0 advantage through the opening inning of play.
The Keys responded immediately in the top of the second courtesy of an RBI single from Ethan Ott (New Mexico) evening the score at one apiece heading into the third in the series opener.
After both sides went scoreless in the third, Harold Baez (Bethune-Cookman) worked through his third straight scoreless inning in the bottom of the fourth, as Frederick and Williamsport went into the fifth still knotted up at 1-1 Saturday night.
Following a scoreless fifth inning on both sides, Taj Bates (Southern) handed the Keys the lead back in the top of the sixth on an RBI single, but the Crosscutters came back to tie it at two on an RBI sacrifice fly, making it a 2-2 game entering the seventh at Journey Bank Ballpark.
Jace Miner (Wichita St) went on and threw scoreless bottom of the seventh to keep it a 2-2 game approaching the eighth and would go on to throw to second straight scoreless frame in the bottom of the eighth, taking the contest to the ninth all tied at two apiece in Williamsport.
After the Keys went off the board in the top of the ninth, Miner got a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth, forcing a sudden death tiebreaker with the Keys and Crosscutters tied at two apiece.
Miner and Davis Smith (Georgia Southern) held the Crosscutters scoreless in sudden death to secure the victory, winning their fourth straight game and the first of two games in Billtown.
The Keys conclude the seven-game road trip Sunday afternoon against the Crosscutters, with first pitch set for 4:05 p.m. at Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field.
