Scouts lose first game after All-Star break 

By Luke Severt, Xenia Scouts beat writer

 July 19, 2018

XENIA- It was almost as if there was a different energy in the air.

No, the Scouts did not end their now-seven-game losing streak. Yes, they were defeated by the Saginaw Sugar Beets by a final score of 3-2 on Thursday night. Yes, they have now lost 20 out of their last 23 games. But something seemed different.

Heading into the All-Star break, the Scouts seemed a bit defeated. The energy was low, frustration high. They simply were not winning, and most of the time it wasn’t close. But on Thursday, manager Jason Lester was pleased about how tight of a game it was, and how well his team battled.

“That’s a great game,” said Lester. “3-2, we were in it the whole way. I liked the energy our kids had.”

After almost two months of playing six games a week, the Scouts were able to take advantage of a much-needed break. After being outscored 21-7 in a weekend series against the Galion Graders, Lester was hoping that the break would allow his team to rest, and come back ready to “win some ballgames.” After their showing on Thursday, he said he has confidence that the wins will come.

Sam Dralle started on the mound for the Scouts, and he also believes that the few days off were very beneficial to the team.

“It gave us all a good break,” said Dralle. “We’ve been losing pretty bad lately, to be in a close game, I think it really brought everyone up, and it will help us out for the rest of the season.”

Dralle turned in his best performance of the year on the mound, and it was one of the best starts that the Scouts have gotten all season. He pitched seven innings, giving up three runs on five hits, walking only one and striking out seven. After the game, he said that his fastball felt “alright,” but the pitch he executed best was his curveball. Being able to mix the two gave him the ability to throw hitters off, thus leading to the seven strikeouts.

The disappointing side of Dralle’s start was that it was spoiled by only two poor pitches. He gave up two home runs, both on fastballs that he left up in the zone, a very vulnerable area for a pitcher.

Although he admits that he wishes he could have those pitches back, he understands that it’s simply part of the game.

“It’s just something that happens,” he said. “One thing as a pitcher you just have to kind of move on to the next pitch and be ready.”

Offensively, it was a bit of a struggle, as the Scouts only scored twice, both runs coming in the first inning, and only totaling three hits offensively. They were able to draw five walks, however, and stranded nine runners on base.

“There were a couple situations where we would have liked to score, but [Saginaw] made the plays,” said Lester.

The Scouts will play the Sugar Beets again on Friday night before breaking out the passports and heading to the “Great White North” to take on the Saint Clair Green Giants in Windsor, Ontario on Saturday and Sunday.