It hasn't been easy for Brady Aiken since he was drafted first overall by the Astros in 2014. Now, after undergoing Tommy John surgery and re-entering the draft last year, he finally feels like he's on his way to big things.

The Indians' second-ranked prospect recorded his first professional win on Wednesday, allowing one run on three hits with six strikeouts over five innings, as Class A Short Season Mahoning Valley beat Batavia, 10-3, in the opener of a doubleheader.

"It's been a long process since, I guess you could say since 2014, and then the surgery and now getting back on the field," Aiken said. "It was really good to just get back out there these past few weeks. To get that first win was big, knowing that you're back in the normal loop and not really worrying about rehab or anything that's happened in the past but just focusing on pitching and not anything else."

Aiken (1-0) worked around a walk in the first inning and notched two swinging strikeouts in a 1-2-3 second. Getting off to a good start was important for the 20-year-old left-hander, who gave up four runs -- three earned -- over three innings against the Muckdogs in his New York-Penn League debut on Aug. 10.

"The first two innings were really big for me," Aiken said. "I faced them before and knew all the hitters I was facing. This time, I felt more comfortable. It was my second time out there, and the first time I had some jitters and was kind of rushing. This time, I was just focusing on getting outs -- and that's what I did."

After getting two quick outs in the third, Aiken surrendered a solo homer to Aaron Knapp. The California native walked Walker Olis before Eric Gutierrez extended the inning with a single. He limited the damage by retiring Branden Berry on a groundout.

"I got the two quick ones before the home run and then after that I just went back to normal stuff and tried not to worry about what had happened," MLB.com's No. 73 overall prospect said. "I just stuck with my stuff and used the fastball to get that ground ball and get out of the inning."

The fourth inning provided more adversity for Aiken. After issuing a leadoff walk to J.J. Gould, the 2015 first-round pick retired the next two batters but gave up a double to Corey Bird. Again, Aiken was able to make a big pitch when it counted, getting Silento Sayles to ground out.

Aiken put the finishing touches on his outing by striking out Knapp and Olis in the fifth, then getting Gutierrez to fly out to center field.

"It could have been a rough start to that inning because I fell behind Knapp and came back to get the strikeout," he said. "That kind of jump-started the rest of the inning. It was a good feeling getting through that fifth inning 1-2-3. It gives you some momentum going into that next start."

Before he was assigned to Mahoning Valley on Aug. 9, Aiken posted a 7.13 ERA and 1.88 WHIP in nine games -- including eight starts -- in the Rookie-level Arizona League. Despite struggling to shake off the rust in the AZL, he recorded 35 strikeouts in 24 innings.

Through two starts with the Scrappers, Aiken has pitched to a 4.50 ERA and 1.50 WHIP.

"Most importantly, the rest of this year is just a learning experience for me," he said. "I'm trying to work on some minor stuff and being more consistent with all of my pitches. If I can do that and throw strikes, I know I can be dominant. It's really good knowing that you can still compete and you can still pitch. It's reassuring knowing that my stuff is still there."

Michael Letkewicz took over in the sixth and allowed two runs on four hits with two strikeouts before Ryan Perez secured the win with a scoreless seventh.

Muckdogs starter Ryan McKay (1-4) allowed five runs on three hits and three walks without recording an out.

Batavia salvaged a split with a 5-3 win in the nightcap, scoring twice in the sixth inning and getting a two-run double from Pablo Garcia.