Manasan, Scouts trounce Sluggers

FINDLAY – Xenia's Noah Manasan continued to feast on Flag City pitching and the division leading Scouts rode a fast start and solid pitching from starter Nick Rodriguez to a 13-6 win over Flag City on Friday in a Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League game at Fifth Third Field.Manasan, an infielder out of San Diego, Calif. who plays for Arizona Christian University, had four hits, drove in three runs and scored three on Friday. In an earlier series with Flag City, Manasan went 5-for-7 with three RBI and three runs scored.Manasan had one two-run single and Troy Lynch had another during a five-run second-inning rally that put Xenia up 7-0. After loading the bases on three walks in the top of the eighth inning, Manasan had another RBI single and Johnathon Jackson's base hit plated two more runs to make it 13-2.Flag City answered with three runs in the bottom of the eighth on a bases loaded wild pitch and RBI singles by Brett Reed and Tanner Powell. Hayden Gilmore had a solo home run in the ninth.Powell and Caleb Smith led Flag City with two hits each. Smith drove in the Sluggers' first run in the bottom of the fourth inning, and singled and scored in the seventh.Rodriguez, who entered the game with a 3-1 record and 2.50 ERA, had a no-hitter until Will Lafferty led off the fourth inning with a double. He gave up one run on three hits and struck out three in his five-inning stint on the mound.The top team in the GLSCL South Division, Xenia improved its record to 23-14. Flag City is 17-18.The two teams play the second game of the current series today at 7:05 at Marathon Diamonds. Flag City will travel to Xenia for Sunday's 5:05 p.m. game, before taking a break for the GLSCL All-Star game to be played Tuesday at Prasco Park in Mason.Xenia 250 210 030—13 13 2Flag City 000 100 131—6 8 2WP—Rodriguez. LP—Stenzel. TOP HITTERS: (Xen) Manasan 4-1B; 3 RBI; Jackson 2-1B, RBI; Reyes 2-1B; Wu 2-1B. (FC) Reed 1B, RBI; Smith 2-1B, RBI; Powell 2-1B, RBI; Gilmore HR, RBI. LEGION BASEBALLOTTAWA – Napoleon got a clutch hit in the first game and Pemberville got a bunch of hits in the second as the Findlay Post 3 Legion baseball team dropped a pair of games in the District 1 regional tournament.Napoleon's big hit was a two-run home run by Noah Gomez that gave Napoleon 3-0 lead in what ended up as a 3-2 win in Wednesday's opener, which was moved to Kalida due to wet grounds. Caden Fritz led Findlay with a single and a double.In Thursday's consolation game, back at Ottawa Memorial Park, Braxton Mefferd drove in three runs with a single, double and triple, Alex Spencer, Noah Schadt and Drew Tajblik all had two hits, and Drew Kachmarick had a two-run double as Pemberville overcame two four-run Findlay rallies to beat Post 3 13-8.Lucas Crates had two hits for Findlay (8-16-1). TRIPLE A BASEBALL TOLEDO – Memphis Redbirds starting pitcher Curtis Taylor allowed three hits in 4 2/3 scoreless innings, and then three relievers – Oddanier Mosqueda, Zack Weiss and Alex Cornwell – no-hit the Mud Hens the rest of the way in a 7-0 win. Mosqueda, who went 1 1/3 hitless innings, striking out two, got the win. Toledo starting pitcher Sawyer Gipson-Long had a rough outing, allowing five runs in the first inning and seven runs overall. He lasted 3 2/3 innings and allowed nine hits. Memphis did all its scoring over the first two innings. Redbirds leadoff hitter JJ Wetherholt – who the St. Louis Cardinals selected with the seventh overall pick in last year's amateur draft – went 4 for 5 at the plate with two doubles, scoring a pair of runs. Wetherholt was playing in just his fourth game for Memphis after being promoted from Double A Springfield. Matt Koperniak had three hits, one a double, and drove in two runs. Matt Lloyd also had two RBIs for the Redbirds. Toledo had just three singles, one each from Hao-Yu Lee, Trei Cruz and Eduardo Valencia. The Mud Hens (50-44) will take on the Redbirds again at 7:05 p.m. tonight at Fifth Third Field.