XENIA — With the two teams being in different divisions of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League, Xenia (from the South division) and Lima (from the North) will only face each other twice this season.
After Wednesday’s game, the host Xenia Scouts are probably glad to see the Locos go home.
Lima rallied from an early 2-1 deficit to grab a 3-2 lead after six innings of play, then exploded for 16 more runs in the final three innings to claim a 19-3 win, June 26 at Xenia’s Grady’s Field.
Pitching woes hurt the Scouts, especially in the eighth inning when they gave up nine runs on five hits. For the game, Scouts pitchers walked seven Lima batters. Four of those walks, along with a hit batsmen and a throwing error occurred in the nine-run eighth.
Lima’s Lavoisier Fisher may have had a career night. The Locos outfielder from Georgia Highlands College was a perfect 6-for-6 at the plate, scored three runs and drove in four others. Lima’s eight and nine hitters in the lineup — Xavier Haendiges and Tim Martin each had three hits while driving in three runs apiece.
Xenia’s Brandon Wilson Jr., junior third baseman from Loyola University, led the Scouts with two hits including a solo home run in the eighth inning.
The Locos (first place in the GLSCL North at 11-7-0) whapped 25 hits to five for Xenia. The 19 runs allowed were the second most by a Xenia team so far this season. The Scouts gave up 22 in a June 8 10-run home loss to Hamilton.
Fortunately for Xenia, who entered the game fourth in the GLSCL South and one game out of first, at least two of the three teams ahead of them also lost on Wednesday. First-place Hamilton lost on the road to the Michigan Monarchs, 4-3; and the second-place Licking County Settlers lost at home, 12-7, to the Muskegon Clippers. The third-place Cincinnati Steam were hosting Galion, but no score was available.
Xenia (11-9-0) doesn’t have too long to mope about Wednesday’s lopsided loss. The Scouts head to Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada, just south actually of Detroit to take on the St. Clair Green Giants for a pair of 7:05 p.m. games, Thursday and Friday, June 27-28 at Lacasse Field.
After the two games with the Green Giants, Xenia will return to Grady’s Field on the Athletes In Action Sports Complex grounds for a five-game homestand. The Scouts will host the Muskegon Clippers for a 7:05 p.m. game on Saturday, June 29, as well as a 4:05 p.m. game on Sunday, June 30.
The Scouts will then return to South Division play with three home games July 2-4 against the Southern Ohio Copperheads. The July 4 contest is a 2:05 p.m. start; the first two games of the series are scheduled to get under way at 7:05 p.m.
