Baseball: Xenia tops Southeastern in game that almost wasn’t

Xenia and Southeastern both were staring at openings in their high school baseball schedules this week when Xenia coach Barry Claus sent Southeastern coach Craig Isaac a text.

“When Alter decided they didn’t want to play us Saturday, I got in touch with Craig and asked him if we wanted to play,” Claus said after his team claimed a 5-3 win over Southeastern at home Wednesday night. “He said yeah right away. I know Craig is like us, he always wants to play and you never want to waste a day like this in the spring.

“You got to play when you can.”

The teams had played in the past and already had an originally scheduled game this spring rained out.

Coming off a tough Ohio Heritage Conference loss to Northeastern on Tuesday, Southeastern was just happy to get back on a field and keep going.

“We took one on the chin,” Isaac said after his squad fell to 15-5. “We didn’t come to lose, but we came to rest and compete. I think it took us awhile to compete, but we did.”

Southeastern scratched a run across in the top of the first on consecutive singles by Trevor King, Andrew Lyons and Hayden McKee, but the Bucs answered with a pair in the bottom half and never trailed again.

T.J. Oliver, who finished 3-for-3, drove in the first Xenia run in the first, scored the go-ahead run and scored again in the third.

Oliver scored in the third on a double by Ryan Day (2-for-3, 2 RBIs, run) as Xenia pushed the lead to 5-1 with a three-run inning.

“This late in the spring, you just want to see another arm and get some swings in,” Claus said, his team now 11-7. “We’ve been on a bit of a losing streak, so to face a quality opponent and get a good win was really needed.”

Travis Newell, normally the fourth man in the rotation for Xenia, went the distance, striking out three and walking two while allowing seven hits.

Southeastern did have opportunities, but was 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

“Normally, we are able to get bunts down and move the runners, that’s why we are 15-5,” Isaac said. “I think we were still thinking about yesterday early on. It took us time to get back on the horse and get going.”

Claus has already told Isaac his squad will head to Southeastern next year.

“They got this pizza place called the Purple Monkey,” Claus said with a smile. “Yeah, I told him we owe him one up there.”

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