NILES, OH—The Mahoning Valley Scrappers secured an 8-6 win against the Frederick Keys in a tightly contested game, holding off a ninth-inning comeback attempt to claim the victory. The Scrappers were forced to use a bullpen day after their regularly scheduled starting pitcher, Tanner Gillis, was picked up by a Major League Baseball organization. Toren Herrick got the nod to start for Mahoning Valley against Frederick's right-handed pitcher Harold Baez.
The game began with two scoreless innings as Herrick pitched the first inning before being replaced by A.J. Riddle in the second. The Scrappers took an early lead in the bottom of the third inning with a Jake Allgeyer RBI single that scored T.J. McKenzie, giving Mahoning Valley a 1-0 advantage. However, Frederick responded in the top of the fourth, scoring four runs. Keenan Taylor's two-run home run, a bases-loaded walk by Brody Fahr, and an RBI fielder's choice by Brandon Hylton put the Keys ahead 4-1.
Mahoning Valley's Jerry Burkett II came in to relieve Riddle and successfully ended the fourth inning without further damage. The Scrappers' bats then came alive in the bottom of the sixth inning, leading to a seven-run explosion. The rally included an RBI single from Drey Dirksen, a bases-loaded walk by Matt Rivera, two-RBI singles from both T.J. McKenzie and Jake Allgeyer, and a sacrifice fly by Kota Suzuki, pushing the Scrappers to an 8-4 lead.
Burkett II continued his strong performance on the mound, pitching through the seventh inning without allowing a run. Ethan Bell took over in the eighth and retired the side in order. However, the Keys began to mount a comeback in the ninth inning. An RBI double by Michael Campagna
and an RBI single by Sam Ruta cut the deficit to two runs. This prompted the Scrappers to call on their closer, Jonathan Martinez, who managed to close out the game despite allowing a walk, securing the 8-6 victory.
With the win, the Scrappers improve to 35-33 overall and 19-15 in the second half, putting them in a three-way tie for second place with Trenton and State College, just half a game behind the West Virginia Black Bears. The series finale against Frederick (32-35, 17-18) is set for Thursday, August 29th, at 7:05 p.m., marking the final home game for Mahoning Valley this season.
