FREDERICK, MD – In a game packed with momentum swings, clutch hits, and standout hustle plays, the State College Spikes and Frederick Keys battled to a 6–6 draw Wednesday night at Nymeo Field. Despite the final score, the Spikes were awarded the win via tiebreaker criteria, improving their record in the MLB Draft League standings.
The action got started early as the Spikes jumped on Keys starter Cooper Robinson in the first. A leadoff double by Javon Hernandez, followed by a hit-by-pitch to Eric Colaco, set the table. After a pair of forceouts, Matthew Polk brought home Hernandez with a fielder’s choice to open the scoring.
Harrison Didawick kept the Spikes rolling in the second, ripping a double to center and later scoring on a wild pitch to make it 2–0. Robinson struggled with command early, issuing multiple walks and plunking a pair of batters, but the Spikes couldn’t capitalize further.
Frederick answered in the bottom of the second as Anthony Diaz reached on a fielder’s choice and moved station-to-station following a single by Jose Silva. Lance Trippel then drove in Diaz with a line-drive single to center to cut the lead in half.
The Spikes extended their advantage in the third after Matthew Polk roped a double to left. Though he was later thrown out at third, Dylan LaPointe and Ryan Rivera strung together hits, and Camden Ross smashed a two-RBI double to make it 4–1.
After both teams went quietly in the fourth and fifth innings, the Keys crept back in during the sixth. A leadoff walk to Hayden Christiansen, followed by a double by Anthony Diaz, set up Silva’s RBI groundout to cut the deficit to two.
The seventh inning featured a crucial insurance run for the Spikes. Eric Colaco showed savvy on the basepaths, stealing both second and third after a walk. With two outs, Harrison Didawick came through again, poking a single to right to bring Colaco home, extending the lead to 5–2.
Frederick refused to back down. In their half of the seventh, they loaded the bases and plated a run when Anthony Diaz drew a walk, scoring Trey Lipsey and bringing it to 5–3. A resilient bullpen effort from Jason Shockley kept it close despite traffic on the bases.
The Keys tied it dramatically in the bottom of the ninth. After a hit-by-pitch and a fielding error put two men on, Sam Parker delivered a game-tying two-RBI double off Carter Holjes, knotting the game at 5. Though Rodney Shultz came in to stop the bleeding, the damage had been done.
Still, the Spikes responded with resilience in the top of the ninth. A leadoff double by Quinn Bentley, followed by a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt from Dylan LaPointe, set up Harrison Didawick for his third hit of the night—an RBI single that gave the Spikes a 6–5 lead. Didawick also stole second, adding to his all-around impact performance.
But with one final push, the Keys tied it again. Walter Urbon delivered a two-out RBI single, scoring Bruin Agbayani and salvaging the 6–6 draw after Trippel reached on a fielding error and advanced to third on another throwing miscue.
Though the box score ends in a tie, it was the Spikes who earned the victory via the Draft League’s tiebreaker procedure, marking a gritty, if unconventional, triumph.
The offensive standouts were plentiful—Harrison Didawick led the way going 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, two RBI, and a stolen base, while Sam Parker provided the game-tying hit for Frederick in the ninth. Anthony Diaz also reached base four times for the Keys, scoring twice and driving a rally with his bat and hustle.
Defensive lapses, including four errors by the Spikes, almost cost them the game. But solid relief work from Shultz, timely hitting, and aggressiveness on the bases helped State College withstand the late Keys surge.
The Spikes will look to clean up the fielding and carry the offensive momentum into their next matchup.
