Marietta/Belpre gave Zanesville a scare.

Post 64/495 rallied late but came up short, dropping an 8-5 decision to visiting Zanesville Post 29 in an American Legion baseball game at Legion Field Tuesday night.

Trailing 8-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Marietta/Belpre scored four runs on Tyler Watkins' 3-run homer and Markie Tate's triple and run to reduce the deficit to three runs.

In the seventh, Post 64/495 got two baserunners aboard and had the tying run at the plate in Watkins with two outs.

But the Belpre Golden Eagles' standout flew out to right to end the contest.

"I was sitting there and thinking that if Tyler hits another home run, oh, my...anyways, the kids are coming around, and getting better," said Marietta/Belpre skipper Phil Logue, whose ballclub fell to 6-19 on the season.

Cody Wagner picked up the mound victory, and Michael Reef earned a save for Zanesville, which improved its record to 22-7.

Wagner, who helped his own cause with a two-run homer off lefty Ty Giffin in the top of the fifth inning, was relieved by Reef in the sixth after serving up Watkins' blast.

"I was going to give (Wagner) one more batter, and that was the batter (Watkins) who hit the home run," said Zanesville Post 29 manager Dan Murphy. "I should have taken him out before that, but things like that happen in baseball. He wanted to go the whole game, and I gave him the opportunity."

Murphy paused.

"Cody's only pitched two games for us this year," Murphy continued. "He threw about five innings in the last game. he gets tired after that."

Capitalizing on two Post 64/495 errors in the opening inning, Zanesville jumped out to a 1-0 lead. In the third, Post 29 tacked on another run when Reef singled home Marcus Schuessler, who had doubled to lead off the frame.

In the bottom half of the third, Marietta/Belpre got on the board when Ashton Packard was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Post 64/495's bid to score more was squelched on a double play ball.

Zanesville stretched its lead to 5-1 in the fourth, scoring three runs without the benefit of a hit.

Wagner's two-run shot to left-center in the fifth made it 7-1.

Post 29 added one more run in the sixth when Schuessler tripled and continued onto the plate after a relay error in the Marietta/Belpre outfield.

With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Josh Clark doubled and Jacob Beaver walked to set the table for Watkins.

After Watkins circled the bases, Tate greeted Reef with a triple, and then legged it home on Corey Law's single to make it 8-5.

With two outs in the seventh, Clark beat out an infield hit, and Beaver was hit by a pitch.

Another 3-run dinger by Watkins would've tied the score, but he got a little under Reef's pitch and skied to right.

Marietta/Belpre is scheduled to play in the Athens Tournament at The Plains Thursday thru Sunday.

"You know, we can be a very good team," Logue said. "We've got potential.

"Our problem is we can't play seven innings of consistent ball. When we start to do that, I don't think there will be any team that'll want to play us."

Zanesville 8,

Marietta/Belpre 5

Zanesville 101 321 0 - 8 8 3

Marietta/Belpre 001 004 0 -5 8 4

WP: Cody Wagner IP 5.1, H 6, R 4, ER 4, BB 1, SO4

Save: Michael Reef IP1.2, H 2, R 1, ER 1, SO 1

LP: Ty Giffin (starter) IP 4, H 7, R7, ER 4, BB 2, SO2

Markie Tate IP3, H 1, R 1, ER0, SO 3

Zanesville Post 29 (22-7) hitting: Jordan Sharrer 1-3, RBI; Marcus Schuessler 2-4, triple, double; Colt Maxwell RBI; Reef 2-4, 2 RBIs; Kyle Butler 1-4, double; Wagner 1-4 home run (5th inning), 2 RBIs; Brice McCarty 1-3

Marietta/Belpre Post 64/495 ( 6-19) hitting: Heath Nicholas 1-4; John Logue 1-4, double; Ashton Packard, RBI; Josh Clark 2-4, double; Tyler Watkins 1-2, home run (6th inning), 3 RBIs; Tate 1-1, triple; Corey Law 1-1, RBI

Next game: Marietta/Belpre at Athens tournament July2-July5