Tornado turnaround
Butler baseball earns 4th straight section triumph

By Mike Kilroy 
Eagle Staff Writer 

BUTLER TWP — Eleven days ago, the Butler baseball team was sitting at 0-3 in Section 1-AAAA after a shutout loss to North Hills. 
“Starting off 0-3 in this section,” said Golden Tornado junior pitcher Cade Negley, “is very tough to come back from.” 
But here Butler is, right back in the mix after a 3-1 win over North Hills Monday night at Butler High School. 
It's the fourth straight section win for the Golden Tornado and the fifth victory in a row overall. 
“We challenged these kids when we got off to a rough start in the section there at 0-3,” said Butler coach Todd Erdos. “We told them that they could either respond or dig the hole even deeper. Our kids responded.” 
Now Butler (9-3, 4-3) sits in a three-way tie with Pine-Richland and North Allegheny in second place in the section. 
The loss knocked the section lead for North Hills (10-3, 5-2) down to one game. 
“I think we've come together as a team more,” Negley said. “Our first goal this year was to win the section. We're sitting in a much better spot right now to do that.” 
Negley helped Butler get back into a better position with an effective outing against North Hills with college scouts sitting right behind home plate to watch him. 
Negley, who hit 88 mph on the gun with his fastball, struck out seven in seven innings. 
He cruised through the first three innings. 
The next four were not nearly as smooth for the junior right-hander, but he was able to wiggle out of jams by making clutch pitches. 
“Cade was outstanding,” Erdos said. “He got through those first few inning quickly and that benefitted him because he had to battle through the second half. But (North Hills) had much better at-bats, too. You have to give credit to them. They worked him pretty good. He just had to refocus and bear down. That's a sign of maturity.” 
Negley's struggles began when he lost command of his sharp-breaking curveball. 
Once he got the touch for that pitch back, things went better for him in the sixth and seventh innings. 
“Once I got my curveball back in, I starting feel comfortable and started going after hitters again,” Negley said. 
Butler scored three runs in the first two innings against North Hills pitcher Mike Serpa. 
After the rocky start, Serpa settled down and allowed only three Butler baserunners from the third inning on. 
But those three early runs, which were scored on a wild pitch, error and a sacrifice fly by Negley, were enough. 
Shortstop Connor Ollio made sure of that. 
With runners on first and third with two out, Ollio made the play of the game in the field in the top of the sixth inning when he ranged to his right deep in the hole to scoop up a hard-hit grounder by Nick Liese.  
He turned and fired a strike to a stretching Jefferson Ford at first base for the final out of the inning. 
The play saved a run for Butler. 
Negley was so thrilled by the play, he tackled Ollio. 
“As you could see, I was really pumped up afterward,” Negley said, laughing. “I went over and tackled him. That was a big-league play by him.” 
Erdos said, “That was a Major League play. That was a huge play to get us out of that inning in what could have ultimately changed the game. That was a game-changer there.”