XENIA — The host Xenia Scouts couldn’t muster enough hits to rally against the last-place Hamilton Joes, Tuesday July 25 on Grady’s Field at the Athletes In Action Sports Complex.
The Scouts played from behind for the entire game in a 7-3 loss. They trailed 2-0 in the third inning when Hamilton’s Genesis Hilliard, of Ohio Dominican College doubled in Valparaiso’s Riley Dent and Samford’s Ryan Crockett with the first two runs of the contest.
Xenia pulled even with one swing of Wright State Raider Kyle Casserly’s bat. Casserly launched a towering home run over the right field fence to score himself and University of Tennessee-Martin’s Jordan Lambert.
But Hamilton tacked on single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to jump back out in front for good.
First, Frank Dickson’s sacrifice fly scored Nigel Williams to put the Joes out in front 3-2.
Then, a Dent double scored Cincinnati Bearcat Mason DeAnna from third in the fifth to put Hamilton out in front, 4-2.
Xenia had its chances to score. They loaded the bases in the first and sixth innings, but failed to score either time. They had lead-off batter Anj Bourgeois on third and Aaron Takacs on first with no outs in the seventh, but Hamilton pulled a 3-6-3 double play, then got Casserly to ground out to short for the inning’s final out.
Hamilton then added an insurance run in the eighth on Eric Santiago’s double to left, which scored Dent. The Joes belted doubles in the contest. The fourth one chased Xenia starter Zachary Wallace with one out in the inning.
That brought in Cadon Owens, who was listed as an outfielder on the Scouts’ roster, to pitch the remainder of the eighth.
Hamilton then loaded the bases and added three more runs in the eighth to put the game out of reach, 7-2.
Xenia’s Chris Ackerman walked, advanced to third on Dylan Lottinville’s flyout then scored on Francisco Ondina’s single into right for the Scouts’ third and final run of the game in the eighth inning.
With the loss, Xenia has now lost six straight, and eight out of their last 10 games. They are now 7 1/2 games out
of first place, and five games out of the playoffs with five games left to play in the season.
Xenia would need a total collapse by both Southern Ohio and Cincinnati — with both teams losing their final games while the Scouts would win their last five — to have any hope of making the postseason playoffs.
The Scouts will host the Joes at 7:05 Wednesday, July 26, in the final meeting between the two Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League South Division foes. A season ago, the two teams were battling for first place in the division.
This time around, defending GLSCL champion Hamilton (12-23) is entrenched in last place while Xenia (15-21) is just ahead of them.
RODDY INJURED: Starting first baseman Joey Roddy was hit on the left elbow by a Hamilton Joes pitch in the second inning of Tuesday’s game. Roddy was taken to Kettering Hospital for treatment and did not return.
