Early Trouble and Late Rally Falls Short in Series Loss to West Virginia

September 2, 2022 – Major League Baseball Draft League (MLBDL) – Frederick Keys News Release

Frederick, MD- The Frederick Keys (17-17) were defeated by the West Virginia Black Bears (23-14) on Thursday night by a final score of 6-3 at Monongalia County Ballpark in Morgantown, West Virginia.

A run each in the first three innings off starting right-hander Drew Minter (Incarnate Word) got him into early trouble while back-to-back home runs by Turner Hill and Maddux Houghton gave West Virginia a 5-0 lead after the 4th.

A solo home run by Caleb Upshaw (Kansas) in the 5th to left-field made it a 5-1 ball game after the 5th.

After a Jake Plastiak (Kentucky) RBI single in the 8th and a Matt Oldham (NC State) RBI groundout in the 9th, the Keys brought the tying run to the plate in Evan Berkey (Evansville) with one out in the 9th. However, Berkey struck out and Tyrese Clayborne (Texas Southern) got caught stealing at third to end the game.

On offense, Amir Wright (Ball State) led the way with a game-high three hits, extending his hitting streak to a team-high 16 games. His hitting streak is the second longest in the MLB Draft League this summer.

The loss eliminated Frederick from MLB Draft League playoff contention.

The Keys will return home tomorrow, Friday, September 2 against the Williamsport Crosscutters for the final series of the regular season. First pitch from Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

For more information on the Frederick Keys, please contact Gareth Kwok at [email protected].

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