Red Sox Start Early, Hand Keys Third Straight Loss
Salem, Va. -The Salem Red Sox scored five times in the first two innings, thanks in part to two Frederick Keys errors, as the orange and black suffered a 6-3 setback on Thursday night at LewisGale Field. It was Frederick's third straight defeat and seventh in its last eight games. Making his first professional start against Salem, Roanoke native, Mikey O'Brien, allowed five runs in four innings.
Josh Hart opened the game with a triple off Aaron Wilkerson and came home on an RBI groundout by Johnny Ruettiger. From there, the Red Sox scored the next five runs, including three times in the third. In the home-first, O'Brien (0-2) loaded the bases with no outs, after a double by Jose Vinicio, an error and a walk to Wendell Rijo.
The right-hander nearly got out of the jam, thanks to a pop out by Mario Martinez and a strikeout of Forest Allday. However Yoilan Cerse connected on a single to right to make it 2-1 Red Sox.
Salem's most productive inning was the second, as the home team scored three times and sent eight men to bat. Jordan Betts earned a free pass to open the inning before a single by Jordan Weems put men at first and second. On to bunt, Vinicio executed a sacrifice down the third base line, but the throw by Anthony Caronia sailed wide, allowing Betts to score. Tzu-Wei Lin would bring in Weems via a fielder's choice, and Martinez doubled in Vinicio to complete the scoring.
Tagged with the loss, O'Brien allowed five runs on six hits over four innings. He walked three and struck out three. Of the five runs he allowed though, only one was earned.
On the Salem side, Wilkerson (4-0) turned in his fourth quality start to earn the win, working six-plus innings and allowing three runs on seven hits. The 26-year-old struck out five and did not walk a batter.
Frederick added single tallies in the third and seventh to complete their scoring against Wilkerson. With two outs, Hart singled before once again scoring on an RBI by Ruettiger, who dunked a single to center. In the seventh, Adrian Marin opened the inning with a base hit, stole second and came home on an RBI double by Conor Bierfeldt, his first Advanced-A hit.
The two-bagger ended Wilkerson's night, and would mark the Keys final hit of the evening, as Chandler Shepherd and Austin Maddox collaborated on three innings of hitless baseball to wrap up the Red Sox win. Maddox picked up his 10th save thanks to a scoreless ninth, becoming the first CL closer to reach double-digit saves.
Ruettiger posted his second multi-RBI game of the year going 1-for-4 with two RBIs, while Hart was the only Frederick player to finish with a multi-hit effort. The leadoff man went 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
The Keys and Red Sox play the middle game of their set of Friday night. Left-hander Chris Lee (2-2, 4.91) gets the ball for the Keys and will be opposed by Sox right-hander Ty Buttrey (5-1, 2.68). First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m and the broadcast can be heard on 1450 AM The Source and frederickkeys.com. The Keys return home on Sunday, June 28 when the team takes on Wilmington at 6:00 p.m. It is Faith Night at the ballpark, while there is a pre-game concert by the Waterboyz for Jesus. There will also be postgame fireworks presented by Turf Equipment and Supply Company. For tickets, fans can contact the Keys at 301-815-9939 or visit frederickkeys.com.