Feeling their way
Tornado still learning Florie's ways, but they top Bridgers


By John Enrietto
Eagle Sports Editor


BUTLERTWP —
Butler had more of an audition than a baseball game Tuesday at Highfield Park.
After getting permission from visiting Ambridge and the umpires, the Golden Tornado used a 14-player batting order to do so.
The Tornado also held on for a 5-4 victory, their first triumph under new coach Dave Florie.
"I'm still trying to sort things out and the kids are still learning a new system,"Florie said. "We want to look at as many guys as we can."
They liked what they saw Tuesday.
Butler batters struck out only once, executed a pair of sacrifice bunts and hit a pair of sacrifice flies. Jimmy McCaslin was the winning pitcher, despite walking six batters in the first two innings. Josh Marchinoski struck out six over the final three innings to get the save.
"Josh has good stuff and he was getting his pitches over the plate,"Florie said. "We'll continue to look at Jimmy because he was very effective in our scrimmage with
Hampton. He just didn't have his control today."
McCaslin did gut his way out of a couple of early jams. Three walks and a single produced a run for Ambridge in the first inning, but the Bridgers had a pair of runners thrown out on the bases.
Ambridge's Sean Speciale walked to start the game and was picked off. Justin Parasida was caught stealing later in the inning.
Three walks and an infield error gave Ambridge another run in the second, but McCaslin struck out No. 2 hitter Rick Moyer to leave the bases jammed.
"We ran ourselves out of a big inning right off the bat,"Ambridge coach Mike Marvin said. "That came back to haunt us late."
The Tornado manufactured a few of their runs. Darren Blakely reached on a bunt single in the first inning, stole second, moved to third on an errant throw and scored on Andy Onufrak's sacrifice fly.
With two outs in the second, Anthony Pinto walked, stole second and scored on Rob Cochran's single to left. Cochran took second when the left fielder bobbled the ball and he scored on Joe Black's single to center.
Butler added a run in the third without getting a hit. Two hit batsmen, an error, a walk and a sacrifice fly, the latter off the bat of McCaslin, upped the Tornado lead to 4-2.
Aaron Ordy singled to open the Butler sixth, stole second, was bunted to third and scored on a ground ball.
"I liked the way we moved runners around,"Florie said. "You can never have enough of those one-run innings. You never know what's going to happen."
That rang true in the Ambridge seventh.
With two strikeouts sandwiching a Jake Mley double, the Bridgers were down to their final out. Rick Moyer tripled over the right fielder's head and Craig Besong blooped a run-scoring single into right field on an 0-2 pitch.
Parasida beat out a chopper in front of the mound, and Besong took third. When Matt Kaunert then grounded sharply to third, Butler's Adam Miller threw him out to end the game.
"That was a nice, smooth play in a tight situation,"Florie said. "That's the stuff we're looking for."
Ambridge 110 000 2—4 7 5
Butler 121 001 x—5 5 2
WP:
Jimmy McCaslin(4 IP) 4 strikeouts, 7 walks. LP: Sean Speciale (5 IP) 1 strikeout, 3 walks
Ambridge (0-2): Rick Moyer 1B 3BRBI2-R, Craig Besong 1BRBI, Justin Parasida 1B, Nick Lewandowski 2-1B, Jake Mley 2B
Butler (1-1): Darren Blakely 1B, Andy Onufrak RBI, Jimmy McCaslin RBI, Adam Miller 2B, Rob Cochran 1B, Joe Black 1BRBI, Aaron Ordy 1B