Submitted photo Frederick Keys manager Jacque Jones interacts with a Keys player during a team practice.

NILES – The Mahoning Valley Scrappers and Frederick Keys entered Wednesday’s game with identical 8-10 records but heading in completely opposite directions.

The trend continued at Eastwood Field as the Keys defeated the Scrappers 4-1 in a game that ended in the eighth inning due to rain.

With the win, the Keys improve to 9-10 and they extend their winning streak to four games.

Meanwhile, the Scrappers fall to 8-11 after suffering their eighth consecutive loss.

Like they have throughout their losing streak, the Scrappers fell behind early and never caught up. Jordan Williams opened the game with a double, followed by a Brody Fahr single. Williams and Fahr both came around to score on sacrifice flies by JoJo Jackson and Irvin Weems.

The Scrappers answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the first inning on a Tripp Clark RBI base hit, but that would be all the scoring for the home team.

Irvin Escobar tacked on the Keys’ third run with a fourth inning home run. Frederick scored its final run in the eighth with an Elijah Clayton sacrifice fly.

“Things are going good right now, the guys are getting better and they are getting more comfortable each day and that’s our goal,” Frederick manager Jacque Jones said. “I love coaching, I love teaching and talking about the game and right now these guys are soaking it all up.”

Jones, 48, is a first-year manager who served as the Keys hitting coach last year. Jones began his coaching career in 2012 as the hitting coach for the San Diego Padres Class A affiliate Fort Wayne TinCaps. He was promoted to Double A in 2013, then to Triple A in 2016. He later served as assistant hitting coach for the Washington Nationals.

Jones played collegiate ball at the University of Southern California and was named a first-team All-American in 1994. He was a member of Team USA, winning an Olympic bronze medal in 1996. The Minnesota Twins drafted Jones in the second round of the 1996 MLB June Amateur Draft. He made his big league debut in 1999, playing in 95 games that year with a .289 batting average. He hit nine home runs and knocked in 44 runs.

Jones spent 10 years in the big leagues as an outfielder with Minnesota, Detroit, Florida and the Chicago Cubs.

As a manager in the MLB Draft League, Jones acknowledges “there is a fine balance” between managing to win and showcasing players.

“I hate to lose, I tell my players every day that I just hate to lose,” Jones said. “At the same time, I understand that none of these players are giving up their summer so they can sit on the bench. At this level, it’s imperative to give all of these guys an opportunity to play and to be seen by scouts. Yet when we take the field, I’m managing in a way that puts our team in the best possible position to win a game.

“Right now I’m starting to figure out how to balance the two, and things are turning out better in recent days.”

While Jones is eager to help guide players in any way possible, he says that the Keys’ roster is filled with “young men who have been very well-coached.” He says his role is to know when to mentor and when to take a step back.

“(Former Minnesota Twins manager) Tom Kelly, who is one of the greats, always told me that the great managers always stay out of the way and let the guys play,” Jones said. “I try to teach during batting practice, after games, during video sessions. But baseball is such a difficult game. If you start talking and trying to correct things during a game, things can get really tough on players.”

The MLB Draft League is designed, in part, as an opportunity for players to showcase their talents with the hopes of reaching the big leagues. Jones says he hopes his time in the league also opens the door for advancement.

“My goal has always been to be a big-league manager,” Jones said. “If not, I will always coach, because I will never lose my passion to teach this game that I love. I was very fortunate to reach the pinnacle. Now I want to help others reach that same goal.”

The Scrappers and Keys conclude their three-game series tonight at 7:05 p.m.

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