XENIA — The Xenia Scouts are in the midst of a timing imbalance.
Like a race car with a cylinder or two missing, or a bicyclist with a flat tire, some adjustments here and there should get things back up to speed.
“If you look at our recent box scores in these past few games, we’ve out-hit our opponents in just about every game. But we’ve been giving up the big hits, and we’re waiting to see a few more of those big hits on our end,” said Scouts manager Bubba Cates.
Xenia split a pair of inter-divisional Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League games with the Muskegon Clippers over the weekend. In Saturday’s game, an 8-5 Clippers win, the visitors bashed a solo home run and a seventh inning grand slam.
On Sunday, Wayne State junior Hunter DeLanoy singled with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth to score Scout teammates Logan Matson of Olivet Nazarene, and Auburn’s Jarrett Eaton in a 4-3 win.
The Scouts just completed 12 consecutive games against teams from the GLSCL’s North Division. After starting out on a tear, winning five of the first six games against the Northern foes, Xenia then lost five of the next six to finish inter-divisional play at 6-6.
Similarly, Xenia is currently 12-12 overall.
Cates still remains optimistic about the Scouts’ future, however.
“We’ve been a better offensive team lately than we have been, … but we’re getting a little arm wearing at this point in the season, and so we’re trying to get everybody some needed rest. We’re a talented team, but we just haven’t found that complete balance in our lineup just yet.
“Our defense has gotten better, and we’re pitching better in spots. We’re also glad to be back at home, and that helps with the structure of our day,” Cates added. “We’re poised to make a run.”
The Scouts didn’t get much rest prior to Saturday’s game. On Friday night, they played an extra inning contest up in Ontario, Canada. The team arrived back in Xenia at about 4:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Xenia gets back into GLSCL South play starting with a three-game home stand with the Southern Ohio Copperheads. The two foes play a pair of 7:05 p.m. games on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 2 and 3, then have a 2 p.m. Fourth of July holiday contest at Grady’s Field on Thursday.
The Scouts are currently 2.5 games out of first place and still in the playoff hunt, with 18 games remaining in the regular season.
