Scouts lose to Graders, 11-3

By Luke Severt, Xenia Scouts beat writer

 July 16, 2018

XENIA- Sometimes, a team just needs a break.

After the Xenia Scouts lost to the Galion Graders 11-3 on Sunday evening, it’s clear that they could use some time off.

They have now lost 19 of their last 22 games, and six in a row, but will not play again until Thursday, as the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League will have a brief pause in action while the best of the best take part in an all-star game.

“We get three game days off,” said manager Jason Lester. “We’ll regroup, and come back at it again on Thursday. I told them to get some rest. We’ve been grinding for a long two months now, and they need to get some rest.”

Despite their struggles, the Scouts will still have five players honored in the game which takes place on Tuesday in Cincinnati. They are as follows: designated hitter Ryan Bertelsman, second baseman Nick Tuttle, outfielder Cam Murray, pitcher/first baseman Caleb Eder, and catcher Jarrett Lindsay.

“I’m looking forward to seeing [them] in the all-star game,” said Lester.

Although they had a star-studded lineup, the Scouts offense was unable to find much success on Sunday. They totaled only three runs on eight hits, and were led by second baseman Zach Bacon, who had one of his best games of the year. He went 3-4 with an RBI double.

Eder started the game for the Scouts, but was only able to throw two innings because he had thrown 30 pitches the night before. He was sharp, as he has been all year, allowing one run on three hits. Due to his recent workload, he likely will not be able to pitch at the all-star game on Tuesday.

After Eder’s brief performance, Ryan Moeller relieved him, and was handed the loss. He threw three innings, giving up six runs on six hits and five walks.

The Scouts went winless on the week, and to Lester, the reasoning is simple.

“We gave up a lot of hits, and we didn’t hit a lot,” he said. “That’s about it.”

The Scouts are sitting at 9-23 on the year, and are all but eliminated from the playoff race. However, that doesn’t mean that their work is done.

“We want to win baseball games,” said Lester about his goals for the remainder of the season. “We can help teams get in and knock teams out. You don’t want to keep losing.”