Keys Fall in Series Opener to Spikes
June 20, 2024 - Major League Baseball Draft League (MLBDL)
Frederick Keys News Release
Frederick, MD - The Frederick Keys suffered a series opening loss to the State College Spikes Thursday night, falling by a score of 7-4 at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium.
Despite scoring four runs in the later innings, the Spikes took an early 6-0 lead and never looked back throughout the entire ballgame, as Frederick will now look to even up the series at a game apiece heading into game two Friday night at home.
Adam Falinski (Eastern Michigan) started his outing strong in the first two innings on the mound, as he recorded three strikeouts in two innings pitched to keep the Spikes off the board early on, with the game remaining scoreless through two innings of play in Frederick.
State College broke through with three runs in the top of the third off back-to-back RBI singles and a wild pitch, bumping the lead to 3-0 heading into the fourth, after the Keys went scoreless in the bottom of the frame.
Christian Rodriguez (Cal State Fullerton) recorded a scoreless inning in the top of the fourth and had two strikeouts in doing so, taking the contest into the fifth with the Keys still down by just three at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium.
In the fifth, a wild pitch and an RBI single pushed the visitors lead to 5-0 lead halfway through the contest, with the Keys looking to answer with some offense entering the second half of the ballgame Wednesday night.
A solo homer hit by Brylan West made it 6-0 in the top of the sixth, but Rodriguez retired the next three in a row on the mound to keep it at 6-0 going into the seventh in the Key City.
Two runs came around to score for Frederick in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI hit by pitch from Allan Gil-Fernandez (State College of Florida) and an RBI walk drawn by Justin Thomas (Florida Southwestern State College), making it a 6-2 game entering the seventh still in favor of the Spikes.
Rodriguez got himself a 1-2-3 top of the seventh inning of relief and his college teammate Evan Yates (Cal State Fullerton) followed it up with a scoreless eighth inning, keeping the home team in the game heading into the bottom of the eighth with the Keys still only down by four at 6-2.
Jo Jo Jackson (Georgia State) sent one out over the left field wall to get his first homer of the year, with his two-run blast cutting the lead at half at 6-4, as the game apprached the ninth with State College only ahead by two.
The Spikes added one more run in the top of the ninth on a wild pitch, but Sempa Shawali Sherican (Uganda Baseball) recorded two strikeouts in the frame to keep the visitors further off the board heading into the bottom of the ninth.
The Spikes finished the game with a scoreless bottom of the ninth on the hill though and secured the series opening victory Thursday night by a score of 7-4.
The Keys continue the four-game series against the State College Spikes Friday night at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium, with first pitch from the Key City set for 7 p.m.
Friday's game will feature Keyote's Birthday and postgame fireworks presented by Nymeo. Additionally, a specialty Jonah Heim bobblehead giveaway will take place. The report card program also will take place this weekend sponsored by Educational Systems Federal Credit Union.
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Major League Baseball Draft League Stories from June 20, 2024
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