FREDERICK, MD – The Frederick Keys battled the Trenton Thunder in sudden death Monday afternoon and won the tiebreaker, winning 4-4 in sudden death at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium.
Bronson Rivera (Hawai’i Pacific) secured the walk-off single in sudden death and led the Keys to their sixth sudden death win of the season, winning the series opener in the final series of the season on Labor Day.
Cam Hassert (Loyola Marymount) brought home his 30th RBI of the season in the bottom of the first, and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch to make it a 2-0 lead for the Keys heading into the second.
Trenton responded quickly in the top of the second with two runs to tie the game, and in the top of the third took a one-run lead off an RBI sacrifice fly, as the Keys found themselves down by one approaching the fourth at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium.
A bases-loaded walk drawn by Cam Pittman (Virginia Tech) tied the game at three apiece in the bottom of the fourth, making it a 3-3 game going into the fifth in the series opener.
Following a scoreless fifth inning for both sides, Parks Bouck (Lipscomb) gave the Keys the lead on a sacrifice fly to left, putting Frederick ahead 4-3 through six innings of play Monday afternoon.
After the Keys and Thunder went off the board in the seventh, Trenton tied things up at four apiece on an RBI single in the top of the eighth, as Frederick progressed into the ninth tied at four apiece with Trenton on Labor Day.
However, both sides went scoreless in the ninth as the contest moved into sudden death with the Keys and Thunder knotted at four apiece heading into the tiebreaker.
From there, Rivera got his pitch in sudden death and put a ball into left-center field to bring home Isaiah Greene from third, as the Keys won their sixth sudden death game of the season in the series opener against the Thunder at home.
The Keys and Thunder meet for the second time in as many days Tuesday night in game two of the final regular season series, with first pitch set for 7 p.m. at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium.
Tuesday’s game represents Deaf and Hard of Hearing Night along with Taco Tuesday. It will also be the final Taphouse Tuesday of the season with there being a local craft brewery being featured at the 4 1/2 Innings Taphouse.
