Frederick sends Lynchburg home
The Keys will play for the Mills Cup for the first time since 1990 after defeating the Lynchburg Hillcats, 7-5, in Game 2 on Thursday at Lynchburg City Stadium to sweep the best-of-three Northern Division Championship Series.
The Keys will play the Kinston Indians in the Mills Cup Championship Series beginning Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET at Harry Grove Stadium. Kinston swept the Winston-Salem Warthogs to win the Southern Division title, clinching the series with an 8-1 victory on Thursday.
Gerardo Alvarez led a 15-hit attack for the Keys, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and scoring twice. Alvarez, who drove in the game-winning run in Game 1 with a pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth, was one of six Frederick players to have at least two hits in the game.
The Hillcats won the regular-season series against the Keys, 12-8, and were 8-2 against Frederick at Lynchburg City Stadium. Lynchburg was 10-1 in the first 11 games the teams played this season before the Keys rebounded with seven straight wins.
The Keys put together a two-out rally to get on the board in the first. Nolan Reimold doubled and picked the right pitch to steal third. Catcher Mike McCuistion let the pitch get by him and Reimold kept running, scoring on what was ruled a passed ball.
Reimold went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored. He was 5-for-9 with three runs scored and three stolen bases in the two games.
Frederick took command in the second inning, smacking around Lynchburg starter Josh Shortslef for four runs. Brian Bock and Jeff Fiorentino sandwiched singles around Travis Brown being hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Alvarez singled home a run and Reimold lashed a double down the left-field line to plate two more. Branden Florence added a run with a groundout, giving the Keys a 5-0 lead.
With Carolina League Pitcher of the Year James Johnson on the mound for the Keys, victory seemed to be a given. That is, until the Hillcats returned fire with four runs in the third inning.
Lynchburg loaded the bases on two singles and a walk with one out. Johnson got the second out on a force at the plate after a comebacker by Pedro Powell, but first baseman Dustin Yount was charged with an error when he was unable to handle the throw from catcher Bock trying to get the double play at first. Avelino Asprilla scored on the play.
Neil Walker followed with a double that plated two more runs. After a walk, McCuistion lined a single to center to score Walker and cut the lead to 5-4.
The Keys added two more runs in the sixth. Branden Florence tripled with two outs to plate Alvarez. Florence came home on a single by Mario Delgado. Those runs turned out to be very important when Taber Lee drove in a run for Lynchburg with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning.
Johnson (1-0) may have given up five runs in his 5 1/3 innings, but only one was earned. He allowed seven hits and two walks while striking out four. The Keys bullpen permitted just two hits over the final 3 2/3 innings.
Frederick closer Marino Salas came on for the ninth inning and put runners on first and second with a walk and a single. Bock picked off Asprilla at second before Salas struck out pinch-hitter Brad Rea and got Neil Walker on a flyout to end the game and collect a save.
Shortslef (0-1) was charged with five runs in 3 2/3 innings. He gave up nine hits and walked one. Reliever Ramon Linares didn't fare much better, permitting two runs in 2 1/3 innings.