XENIA — Thursday night marked the final road game this summer for the Southern Ohio Copperheads, and it didn’t shake out how they would’ve wanted it to.

Instead of finishing out their away slate on a high note, Southern Ohio (7-31) suffered a late-game collapse, allowing six runs in the final three innings en route to a 9-4 loss to the Xenia Scouts.

Despite the five-run differential on the scoreboard, the teams wound up finishing the night dead even in the hits column. Whilst combining for 13 runs, they managed just ten total hits.

Cal Leighton was the only Southern Ohio hitter to record more than one, with his 2-for-3 day at the dish resulting in two RBIs and a run scored. Landon Baker, Zach Reeder and Fox Spears would contribute the other three base hits.

Baker, Spears and Brady Kaufman would join Leighton as run scorers, while Reeder managed an RBI.

That even battle in the hit column found the ‘Cheads fully in the midst of a competitive battle, with the teams tied at 3-3 through six innings despite once again being forced to play guys out of usual positions.

Much of that was due to Southern Ohio starting pitcher Jack Bracken, who was masterful in his six innings on the bump Thursday night.

Across six innings, Bracken surrendered just two hits, two walks and three earned runs, all while striking out an incredible 15 Xenia hitters.

Unfortunately, his effort would all be for naught as the Scouts quickly tagged Southern Ohio for five runs immediately after the starter was removed from the game. Despite just two hits in the seventh inning, Xenia (11-28) would score five runs to blow the game wide open.

Leighton’s eighth-inning RBI single would momentarily stop the bleeding, but the damage would be done. Xenia would match that score in the back half of the inning, putting the lead back to five runs before quickly ensuring the victory.

Thursday’s defeat cements the Copperheads’ away record at an abysmal 2-17 this season, with the team having two more opportunities before the summer comes to a close.

They’ll finish the three-game set with the Scouts over the weekend, with the team having one last opportunity to win their first series of the summer.