Butler baseball wins section debut




The script played out before, so
Butler did it again.
Senior first baseman Logan Maxwell lined a bases-loaded single to left with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning Saturday, lifting the Golden Tornado to a 2-1 Section 1-AAAA baseball opening win over
New Castle at Kelly Automotive Park.
Butler (4-2, 1-0) has already won twice as many games this spring as it won all of last year.
“You can feel the difference,”
Butler coach Todd Erdos said. “These guys are fighting for each other.”
Butler trailed 1-0 entering the bottom of the fifth when Reid Werth singled to left to open the frame. Garrett Goslaw bunted him to second. With two outs, Maxwell singled to left to knot the game.
Maxwell ended the inning by being thrown out at the plate while trying to score on Ryan Vero's bloop single to right.
The game remained tied entering the last of the seventh. No. 9 hitter Luke Baranchak hit a pop fly that came down just behind the pitcher's mound.
New Castle hurler Mark Graziani reached back for the ball, but it eluded his glove.
“That's a tough play for a pitcher,”
New Castle coach Paul Malley said. “The ball was hit high enough that one of the infielders should have sprinted toward the ball and taken that play away from him.”
After Werth walked, Goslaw again executed a sacrifice bunt, moving runners to second and third. Cory Wheeler was intentionally walked to load the bases.
Maxwell then drilled Graziani's first pitch into left field for the game-winning hit.
“Those two bunts laid down by Goslaw were as big as any plays in this game,” Erdos said. “This was a solid team win. We executed, got good pitching and timely hitting.”
Maxwell said he hit an inside fastball for both of his singles on the day.
“He struck me out with an inside fastball on my first at bat,” Maxwell said. “I figured he might come back in there again and try to tie me up. I was ready for it.
“Getting that hit (to tie the game) earlier was a big confidence boost for me during that last at bat.”
Jesse Savisky pitched the first six innings for the Tornado, throwing 50 of his 78 pitches for strikes. He walked Julian Cox and Graziani back-to-back with one out in the sixth — the only two free passes he issued all day.
“I didn't want him throwing more than 80 pitches today,” Erdos said. “Jesse began leaving some pitches up, a sign he was getting tired. He gave us a great effort.”
Wyatt Daugherty got the win in relief, allowing one hit in the seventh.
Graziani,
New Castle's ace left-hander, threw 105 pitches in tossing a complete game. He struck out two and walked five.
“He struck out 16 in his first outing against Reynolds,” Malley said. “Mark threw the ball well. He deserved better.
“Our three wins this year have been walk-offs. I guess one was due to go the other way.”
New Castle 001 000 0 — 1 5 1
Butler 000 010 1 — 2 7 1
1 out when winning run scored
W: Wyatt Daugherty 1IP (0K, 0BB). L: Mark Graziani 6.1IP (2K, 5BB).
New Castle (3-3): Gino Quahliero 1B, Joe Gunn 1B RBI, Matt Gibson 1B, Patsy Scarnati 1B, Robert Fee 1B
Butler (4-2): Reid Werth 1B, Cory Wheeler 1B, Logan Maxwell 2-1B 2-RBI, Ryan Vero 1B, Ryan Denny 1B, Luke Baranchak 1B