Twirling Tornado
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Butler starting
pitcher Mick Fennell unleashes a pitch Friday during a season-opening 9-0
victory over Woodland Hills at Pullman Park. Fennell struck out seven in five
innings to pick up the win. |
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Mick Fennell was sick
as a dog at the beginning of the week.
By the end of the week, he made Woodland Hills look sick at the
plate.
The Butler senior threw 80 pitches, struck out seven in five
innings, and combined with Colin McKee for a two-hit shutout Friday night at
Pullman Park.
The Golden Tornado opened their high school baseball season with
a 9-0 triumph over the Wolverines.
“This was the first time Mick was extended this spring and he
looked great,” Butler coach Todd Erdos said. “His control wasn't where it
normally is, but he mixed up his pitches well.”
Fennell threw 47 of his pitches for strikes. He walked three —
including two in the second — but responded by striking out No. 9 hitter Rich
Jacko to end the inning. Fennell walked the leadoff batter in the fourth, then
got a double-play ball.
“I got really sick Monday night, some kind of virus,” Fennell
said. “I threw up like seven times overnight. I rested the next day and felt a
lot better.
“My legs weren't quite there tonight. I think that affected my
control a little bit.”
Butler scored twice in the first inning as Fennell and David
Tompkins had run-scoring singles. Right fielder Tompkins ended the top of the
first by throwing out a Woodland Hills runner trying to advance from first to
third on a single.
“We did a lot of things well tonight,” Erdos said. “Our bats got
off to a bit of a slow start, but their kid threw hard and tonight was the
first time our hitters faced that kind of velocity.”
The Tornado broke the game open with three runs in the fourth and
four in the fifth. Colin Williamson, Tompkins and Dalton Koebler all had two
hits and two RBIs for Butler.
Nine of Butler's 12 hits came in the fourth and fifth frames.
“(Starting pitcher) Cody (McClelland) throws in the mid-80s and
has good stuff,” Wolverines coach Tim Banner said. “With him, it's a confidence
issue. You can see it in his non-verbal communication on the mound. ... He just
loses it at times.”
Woodland Hills did not strand a runner in the final four innings.
McKee closed the game with a perfect two frames, striking out two.
Eight different Butler players had hits in the game. Six had RBIs
and six scored runs.
“Being able to get outside so much this early has enabled the hitters
to zone in,” Erdos said. “Normally, the pitchers are ahead of the hitters at
this time of year.”
Woodland Hills scored one run in two scrimmages prior to being
blanked by the Tornado. The Wolverines have four starters back from a 5-12
season in 2011.
Two years ago, the team won its section with a 10-2 mark.
“Yeah, I'm worried about confidence with this group,” Banner
admitted. “They haven't had much success to fall back on.”
Woodland Hills 000 000 0 — 0 2 2
Butler 200 340 x — 9 12 1
W: Mick Fennell 5 IP (7K, 3BB). L: Cody McClelland 4.1 IP (3K, 2BB).
Woodland Hills (0-1): Joe Cislo 1B, Dylan
Severson 1B
Butler (1-0): Colin Williamson 2-1B 2-RBI, Mick Fennell 2B 1B 2-R RBI, Matt Baranchak
1B, David Tompkins 2-1B 2-RBI 2-R, Dalton Koebler 2-1B 2-RBI 2-R, Chris Cotton
2B, Tom Bruce 1B RBI, Cory Wheeler 1B RBI