Near no-no
Butler pitcher Negley tosses 6 no-hit innings before yielding to reliever in 1-0 win

By John Enrietto 
Eagle Sports Editor 

Working on a no-hitter and collecting Butler's only RBI, the game belonged to Cade Negley. 
The end of the game didn't. 
The junior right-hander was pulled after pitching six hitless innings and holding a 1-0 lead Friday at Kelly Automotive Park. Dallas Hays pitched the seventh, allowed a leadoff single, but worked out of trouble to get the save in the one-run victory over Ellwood City. 
“Being a former pitcher myself, I know opportunities to pitch a no-hitter don't come around often,” Butler coach Todd Erdos said. “But we were going to be strict on pitch count today. 
“It's early in the season and I had Cade at a 70-pitch limit. He was at 60 through five innings and I almost took him out then. But he really wanted to pitch the sixth. 
“He wanted to go out there for the seventh, too, understandably. But enough was enough,” Erdos added. 
Negley threw 72 pitches in the contest, 49 for strikes. He struck out nine and walked one. 
“I understood it,” he said about being lifted. “It's a non-section game and it's early in the year. We need to get ready for the section games.” 
Ellwood City coach Jeff Fotia was not surprised Negley didn't finish the game. 
“They're doing the same thing we are. These non-section games is when you look at people,” Fotia said. “I used almost everyone on my roster at some point today.” 
Butler (3-0) scored the game's lone run in the first inning. Hays walked with one out, moved to second on an errant pickoff attempt and scored on Negley's single to center. 
The Tornado nearly added to their lead in the fourth. With two outs, Alec Bayer reached first on an infield error. He stole second and tried scoring on Nathan Kibbie's single to right. 
Ellwood City right fielder Blake Randell's throw easily beat Bayer to the plate, however. 
“This game was a step in the right direction for us,” Fotia said. “We played a competitive game against a very good team. We had not been playing good baseball of late. 
“We made a fielding mistake that cost us a run early. We made a baserunning error that cost us the tying run late.” 
The Wolverines (1-5) have dropped five in a row. 
Ellwood City's Austin Richard greeted Hays with a line single to left to begin the seventh. He was bunted to second and moved to third on a wild pitch. Two pitches earlier, Richard froze at second as a Hays pitch rolled to the backstop. 
“That next (wild) pitch bounced high and climbed the wall,” Foria said. “We would have scored on that one.” 
But with Richard at third, Randell hit a ground ball to first baseman Jefferson Ford. Ford threw to the plate, Richard was caught in a rundown and was tagged out at third. 
Randell advanced to second during the rundown, but Hays struck out Max Keally to end the game. 
Butler managed only four ghits — all singles — on the day. 
“Their pitcher (Justin Baney) did a nice job. He definitely had us off-balance at the plate,” Erdos said. “But our hitters were too tentative, too. We looked at a lot of called strikes. 
“Cade was outstanding. He pounded the zone and went after hitters. He got a lot of early swings and that helped his pitch count.” 
Ellwood City managed three baserunners against Negley — two on infield errors and the lone walk. The Wolverines' closest thing to a hit off Negley was a Richard line out to right to end the first inning. Bayer caught the liner around his knees in shallow right. 
“There was a cross-wind blowing toward left today, so we had our right fielder play shallow,” Erdos said. “The ball was hit right at him.” 
The Wolverines did not come close to a hit against Negley after that. 
“I didn't have to use my change-up much at all today,” Negley said. “It was all fastball and curves. I was finding the strike zone consistently with both pitches. 
“The score of the game never bothers me when I'm pitching. My mind-set every inning I take the mound is they're not going to score. If one guy reaches base, I'm getting the next guy out.” 
Negley has thrown a pair of no-hitters in his career, both in summer travel ball. 
“Hopefully, he'll get a shot at another one for us down the road,” Erdos said. 
Ellwood City 000 000 0 — 0 1 3 
Butler 100 000 x — 1 4 2 
W: Cade Negley 6IP (9K, 1BB). L: Justin Baney 5IP (5K, 3BB). 
Ellwood City (1-5): Austin Richard 1B 
Butler (3-0): Nathan Kibbie 1B, Cade Negley 1B RBI, Dallas Hays R, Connor Ollio 2-1B