UNION LOCAL’S Tre Rex delivers a pitch to the plate against Martins Ferry Friday afternoon in Morristown. The lefty struck out 10 and combined with Luke Merritt on a two-hit shutout as the Jets won, 3-0.

MORRISTOWN — The Union Local baseball team presented head coach Wade Smolira with a much-needed victory on his 51st birthday Friday.

The Jets (2-3) rode the relief pitching of Tre Rex and manufactured one run in the first and two more in the fourth in blanking visiting Martins Ferry, 3-0, on sun-splattered Jets Field.

Rex, a lanky lefty, took over to start the third inning after starter Luke Merritt left to participate in the District 12 All-Star Basketball game. However, prior to his departure, Merritt struck out three and walked one.

“I was going to start Tre, but with Luke leaving we let him start and then come back with Tre, and it worked,” Smolira said. “They both pitched well. That’s what we needed.”

Rex fanned 10, walked three and carried a combined no-hitter into the sixth. He finished with 78 pitches, with 51 finding the strike zone.

“I’m usually a starter and it kind of affected me the first inning I came in because my arm was a little sore from playing centerfield,” Rex said. “The 10 strikeouts are my season-high. I’m not sure about my career-high, though.”

Little did anyone know that when Jake Toohey raced home on a two-out single down the third base line by Evan White that glanced off the glove of Martins Ferry third baseman Colin Snedeker and kicked into foul territory, that would be all the offense the Jets would need. Toohey led off with a double and advanced to third on a groundout by Merritt.

The Purple Riders had a runner on third with one out in the third and failed to score. They also put runners on first and second with one out after back-to-back walks in the fourth, only to watch Rex fan the next two. After striking out the side in the fifth, the southpaw struck out the first batter of the sixth before Chase Goff lifted a fly ball to the right side of the infield that fell between a pair of Jets to breakup the no-no. Snedeker followed with a seeing-eye single to right as Goff chugged into third. However, after Snedeker stole second, Rex retired the next two batters on strikes to end the threat.

“You can’t win with zeroes,” Martins Ferry (4-3) head coach Anthony Reasbeck said.

“I’ve been around sports for 35 years and I’ve never seen a team win with zeroes. I don’t think it happened tonight either. It’s back to the drawing board. We’re not going to beat anyone scoring zero runs.

“If you only give up three runs in high school baseball, you should win,” he noted. “But if you strike out 13 times you couldn’t beat the second grade team. You couldn’t.

“That was just a pathetic performance tonight. No other way to put it.”

Union Local made it 3-0 in the fourth as Carter Loase walked with one out and went to second on an errant pickoff attempt. Jared Miller drilled a single to center that plated Loase, with Miller going to second when the ball was misplayed in the outfield. Miller would then score on an error.

“We played well defensively and that is what we’re going to have to do,” Smolira said. “Because right now we’re not putting up many crooked numbers.”

If there was a bright spot for the Purple Riders, it was the relief performance of freshman Baron Lucey who fanned one and issued a free pass in two-and-two-third innings of work.

“He’s got some talent. He’s going to be good coming down the stretch,” Reasbeck said of Lucey. “It’s about time for him to get more time. He’s got some moxy about him and I like that.

“Logan did a good too,” Reasbeck said starter Logan Meeker. “I have no problem with our pitching today.”

Miller had a pair of singles for Union Local.

The Jets host Tusky Valley today for one game at noon. They then travel to Martins Ferry on Monday.