Salem Red Sox drop rubber game to Keys

The Salem Red Sox fell behind by four runs early, but battled back to have a chance in the ninth inning, ultimately falling to the Frederick Keys 5-3 on Wednesday afternoon at LewisGale Field.

A pair of first inning walks issued by starting pitcher Daniel McGrath allowed the Keys (4-3) to score two runs after a run-scoring hit from Jomar Reyes. The Keys added runs in the second and third innings thanks to a wild pitch scoring Cam Kneeland and a home run from Josh Hart, respectively.

McGrath (1-1) was removed from the game in the second inning after colliding at home plate with Kneeland. He went 1.2 innings, allowing three runs on two hits, walking two hits and striking out two.

The Sox (3-4) chipped away at the Keys lead with tallies in the fourth and fifth frames against Frederick starter John Means (1-0). Andrew Benintendi connected on his fourth triple of the season and scored on a Nick Longhi sacrifice fly in the fourth, and Mauricio Dubon brought home Deiner Lopez with a single in the fifth.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Red Sox made it a one-run game when David Sopilka drove home Franklin Guzman with a single. Sopilka had his second multi-hit game of the season in as many starts, also doubling in the third inning.

The Keys brought a run home in the eighth inning off of Mario Alcantara, and would hold on to the lead as Michael Zouzalik put out a two-on, one-out rally in the ninth to seal the victory.

The Red Sox hit the road on a seven-game road trip beginning Thursday night at Winston-Salem. First pitch is scheduled for 7 pm. Lefty Jalen Beeks (0-0, 0.00) gets the call for the Red Sox, his second start of the year, while Jordan Stephens (0-1, 2.25) will go for the Dash.  Follow along with all the coverage on the Salem Red Sox Baseball Network.