Tornado pleased to find offense
Butler baseball tops
Gateway, 7-0
April 19, 2017 High School Baseball 0 Comments
BUTLER TWP — Runs crossed the plate early
and often for Butler.
Golden Tornado baseball coach Todd Erdos is hoping for a repeat performance today as his team
returns to section play against Central Catholic.
“We seem to have gotten out of our funk,” Erdos said of his team’s 7-0 win over Gateway Tuesday at
the high school field. “It felt good to see those runs score early.
“If we can get that same early production,
we can be relaxed and just go out and play. It’s time to get something done in
section.”
Butler (5-4, 0-3) was shut out in three
straight section games before breaking through with seven runs in a non-section
win over Armstrong and seven more Tuesday night.
Gateway (2-7) lost for the sixth time in
seven games.
“Butler was swinging the bats well tonight.
They put the ball in play and made things happen,” Gators coach Bill Stoops
said.
Gateway had trouble doing the same — and
Butler right-hander Brandon Fleeger had a lot to do
with that.
Fleeger worked six innings,
allowing only four hits. He struck out six and threw 96 pitches. Alec Bayer
tossed a scoreless seventh to complete the shutout for Butler.
“Brandon ran into trouble on pitch count in
the sixth,” Erdos said. “He got a big double play
ball to get out of that inning.
“He’s been very consistent on the mound for
us. His last time out, he looked sharp against North Allegheny.”
Fleeger walked only two and got
ahead of hitters most of the night. He quelled Gateway’s biggest threat —
runners at first and third with one out in the sixth — by inducing No. 4 hitter
Kris Dick to ground into a double play after getting ahead 3-0 in the count.
Dick hit into a pair of inning-ending double
plays for the Gators.
“We stood up there waiting for the perfect
pitch too many times,” Stoops said. “I keep telling our guys ... there is no
perfect pitch.
“We have to start making more consistent
contact at the plate. But their kid (Fleeger) has a
nice curve-ball.”
Fleeger often threw that pitch
when behind in the count. He got strike calls with it twice on 3-0 pitches.
“I have a lot of confidence with it,” Fleeger said of his curve. “That’s my out pitch. I’m more
comfortable throwing a curve than my fastball.”
Fleeger received early run
support Tuesday. Connor Ollio delivered a two-out RBI
single in the first inning. Jacob Keene had a run-scoring single in the second
and RBI singles by Cade Negley and Ollio highlighted a four-run third.
“It’s great getting an early lead like
that,” Fleeger said. “You can just go out on the
mound, relax and throw.”
Adam Hohn, Dallas
Hays and Ollio all had two hits for Butler. The
Tornado had 10 hits as a team, all singles.
Gateway 000 000 0
— 0 4 3
Butler 114 100 x — 7 10 0
W: Brandon Fleeger
6IP (6K, 2BB). L: Michael Vojnik 4IP (4K, 1BB).
Gateway (2-7): Dylan Urban 2B, Eric Dawkins
1B, Michael Vojnik 1B, Brady Walker 1B
Butler (5-4): Adam Hohn
2-1B, Dallas Hays 2-1B RBI 2-R, Cade Negley 1B RBI,
Connor Ollio 2-1B 2-RBI, Alec Bayer 1B, Jacob Keene
1B RBI, Justin Stewart 1B