Home Notice Box Sports Scouts lose 23-8 slugfest

Scouts lose 23-8 slugfest

0

XENIA — It’s not every day where a baseball team can amass 12 base hits and lose, but that was the Xenia Scouts’ fate on Wednesday June 28 against the Richmond Jazz.

A dozen base hits wasn’t nearly enough for the Scouts in a 23-8 loss at Grady’s Field on the Athletes In Action Sports Complex grounds. That’s because Richmond had pounded out 20 hits and drawn 11 walks.

The Jazz smacked a pair of home runs — a two-run shot by Jordan Gillerman in the five-run third, and a three-run blast by Andrew Czech in the six-run seventh. They scored at least one run in every inning but the first and fourth.

A bright spot for Xenia might be that catcher Donald Ring’s bat came alive in the loss. Ring, out of Hillsdale College, was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with a walk. Mired in a 3-for-22 slump, the returning Scout collected three singles, bashed a no-doubt solo home run over the left-field fence, drove in two of Xenia’s runs and scored twice.

Clean-up hitter Chris Ackerman, another Hillsdale product, also had a good day. Ackerman went 3-for-4 with a single, double, three-run home run (in the seventh) and scored two other Scouts runs.

Richmond (9-6) finds itself just a half a game behind the Cincinnati Steam (10-6) for the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League’s South Division lead. Xenia had a chance to get its overall record to an even .500, but the lopsided loss derailed those plans a bit. The defending South champion Scouts are now 7-9 and three games behind Cincinnati.

The Scouts will host the defending GLSCL champion Hamilton Joes at 7:05 p.m. Friday June 30 at Grady’s Field for their next game. They’ll then open up July with a home and home series against Cincinnati on July 1 (in Cincy) and July 2 (at Grady’s Field).

Teammates Anj Bourgeois (9) and Kyle Brunner (20) congratulate Scouts catcher Donald Ring after his solo home run in the fourth inning of Wednesday’s June 28 23-8 loss to the Richmond Jazz, at the Athletes In Action Sports Complex in Xenia.
http://www.xeniagazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2017/06/web1_DonRingDinger_PS.jpgTeammates Anj Bourgeois (9) and Kyle Brunner (20) congratulate Scouts catcher Donald Ring after his solo home run in the fourth inning of Wednesday’s June 28 23-8 loss to the Richmond Jazz, at the Athletes In Action Sports Complex in Xenia. John Bombatch | Greene County News

Kyle Casserly rounds third and heads for home to score on Donald Ring’s RBI single to right field, in the second inning of Wednesday’s Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League baseball game on Grady’s Field at the AIA Sports Complex in Xenia.
http://www.xeniagazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2017/06/web1_KyleCasserlyScore_PS.jpgKyle Casserly rounds third and heads for home to score on Donald Ring’s RBI single to right field, in the second inning of Wednesday’s Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League baseball game on Grady’s Field at the AIA Sports Complex in Xenia. John Bombatch | Greene County News

Richmond Jazz players Josh Turnock (9) and Jack Holden (24) greet Jordan Gillerman at home plate after Gillerman’s two-run home run in the third inning of Wednesday’s GLSCL baseball game against the host Xenia Scouts.
http://www.xeniagazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2017/06/web1_JordanGillermanHR_PS.jpgRichmond Jazz players Josh Turnock (9) and Jack Holden (24) greet Jordan Gillerman at home plate after Gillerman’s two-run home run in the third inning of Wednesday’s GLSCL baseball game against the host Xenia Scouts. John Bombatch | Greene County News

Xenia’s Francisco Ordina smacks a line drive out into left field, during the fourth inning of Wednesday’s June 28 loss to the Richmond Jazz, in a Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League baseball game at Grady’s Field on the AIA Sports Complex grounds in Xenia.
http://www.xeniagazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2017/06/web1_FranciscoOndina_PS.jpgXenia’s Francisco Ordina smacks a line drive out into left field, during the fourth inning of Wednesday’s June 28 loss to the Richmond Jazz, in a Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League baseball game at Grady’s Field on the AIA Sports Complex grounds in Xenia. John Bombatch | Greene County News

By John Bombatch

[email protected]

You can reach John Bombatch at 937-372-4444, Ext. 2123.