Butler plates 3 in 7th, nips Cathedral Prep, 4-3
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David Tompkins fields
a ball in right field Wednesday night during Butler's come-from-behind 4-3
baseball win over Cathedral Prep at Pullman Park. |
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Colin McKee raised his
arms in the air and sprinted toward first.
Once his sharp single to right field in the bottom of the seventh
inning hit the Pullman Park grass and David Tompkins touched foot to plate, the
Butler baseball team had a walk-off 4-3 win over Cathedral Prep Wednesday
night.
Butler scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh, the final
two with two outs in the frame.
“Better late than never, guys,” Butler coach Todd Erdos said to
his team after the win.
McKee also got the win in relief of Matt Baranchak. McKee worked
the final three innings, giving up one run on two hits and striking out five.
“I was thinking just put the bat on the ball. See the ball, hit
the ball,” McKee said, smiling. “I got a good pitch to hit and I drove it.”
Butler's final inning heroics were set up by a walk to Alex
Ziegler, who then scored when lefty-hitting Mick Fennell slashed a triple down
the left field line.
Fennell came around to score on a triple to right-center by
Tompkins that tied the game at three with two outs.
“It's definitely a nice win,” said Erdos. “Cathedral Prep has a
good ballclub over there. Every year they have a nice team. It's nice to come
back with some huge hits when you have been down all game.”
Both starting pitchers were effective.
Baranchak started off wild, hitting Prep leadoff hitter Eli Flynn
with his very first pitch and then walking the next batter. But he was able to
work out of trouble in the first.
The right-hander wasn't so lucky in the second inning, giving up
three singles that led to two runs.
Baranchak struck out eight, but walked four. He walked the bases
loaded in the fourth inning, but also struck out the side.
“He battled out there,” Erdos said. “It wasn't one of his finest
control games, but he kept us in the game and when he needed to, he got the
strikeouts.”
Prep starter Jamie Lauria threw three pitches for strikes and
kept the Butler hitters off balance.
He used a fastball to set up his curve and change.
McKee had first-hand knowledge of how good Lauria could be. The
two teams spent the summer together on a traveling team.
“I know he was hurt and he is just coming back,” McKee said. “He
was really mixing his pitches up today. He can hit 90 mph with that fastball
when he's healthy. He's a really good pitcher.”
Butler was able to load the bases against Lauria in the second
and third innings, but managed just one run, stranding six in those two frames.
“That's a credit to their pitchers. They pitched well,” Erdos
said.
Mike Piotrowski relieved Lauria to start the bottom of the fifth
inning and pitched well until the seventh.
A win like this further reinforced to McKee that this is a
special group.
Most of the roster was on the Butler Township Little League team
that won the state championship.
“This is a group of guys who have been together forever,” McKee
said. “We played up through Little League and federation league together. We
have 13 seniors on the team and we've been in every kind of baseball game
imaginable. That's what makes us special.”
Cathedral Prep 020 010 0 — 3 5 2
Butler 010 000 3 — 4 5 0
2 outs when winning run scored
W: Colin
McKee 3IP (5K, 0BB). L: Mike Piotrowski 2.2 IP (2K, 1BB).
Cathedral Prep (0-1): Eli Flynn 1B RBI, Scott
Hess 1B RBI
Butler (3-0): Mick Fennell 3B, David Tompkins 3B RBI, McKee 2-1B GWRBI, Matt
Baranchak 1B RBI