It was a slow start for both teams Friday night, with pitching dominating the early innings. Dale Ellis got the start for the Joes and, despite being on a 50-pitch count, delivered an impressive outing—going 4.0 innings while allowing just 2 hits and no runs.

Both teams remained scoreless through the first four innings. In the fifth, Jack Cecil—the recent Ohio State commit—took the mound in relief of Ellis. After issuing a leadoff walk, Cecil settled in and retired the next three batters in order. On the other side, Xenia’s Caleb Cook continued his strong night, allowing just one hit through four innings and tossing a 1-2-3 fifth.

The game’s first run came in the top of the sixth. Johnathan Jackson of Xenia led off with a base hit and stole both second and third. He eventually scored on a wild pitch, giving the Scouts a 1-0 lead. Cecil then walked two consecutive batters, and a costly error by third baseman Aidyn Coffey allowed another run to score, making it 2-0 Xenia. Cecil's night ended after 1.2 innings, and Dylan Thompson entered in relief. Thompson halted the damage with a clutch strikeout to end the inning.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, Jackson Wang stepped up and delivered a game-tying two-run single. The game was even at 2-2 heading into the seventh.

Thompson continued to dominate on the mound in the seventh, retiring the side in order. In the bottom half, Jaxson Christ came through once again with an RBI single, scoring Coffey. Christ would then advance all the way home on a series of passed balls, extending the Joes' lead to 4-2.

Thompson stayed on for the eighth and tossed another hitless inning. The Joes couldn’t add to their lead in the bottom of the eighth, setting the stage for a high-pressure ninth. Thompson gave up a leadoff hit but quickly shut things down with three consecutive outs, locking up a 4-2 win and a series victory for the Joes over the Scouts.

The Joes will be back in action tomorrow night at Foundation Field at 7:05 p.m., looking to complete the sweep.