Winning Ugly
Deteriorating weather
elements can't stop Butler
April 7, 2018 High School Baseball
Butler
pitcher Garrett Banner delivers to the plate during the Golden Tornado's 7-4
win over Armstrong Fr9day night at Kelly Automotive Park.
DAVE PRELOSKY/BUTLER EAGLE
The Butler baseball team has seen just about
every kind of weather in the last three days.
Wind. Cold. Rain. Sleet. Snow.
There's been one constant amid the rapidly
changing weather conditions.
Winning.
Butler (4-0) withstood a driving wind and a
cold rain against Armstrong on a soggy Kelly Automotive Park for a 7-4 win in a
game shortened to five innings by the deteriorating elements.
“The ball was wet and their hands were wet,”
said Butler coach Cody Herald. “But I don't think they showed any frustration
with it. Just like I said (Wednesday), you can't control the weather, but you
can control what you do with it.”
The weather made the baseball hard to
control for the five pitchers used by both teams.
Butler and Armstrong combined to issue 18
walks. River Hawk pitchers Noah Cyphert, Josh Leighton and Jordan Dillard
combined for 11 of those base on balls.
They also hit two batters and uncorked five
wild pitches.
“We had control issues, but I contribute that
to the weather,” said Armstrong coach Ed Morris. “We're usually around the
strike zone. It was just tough sledding out there. Real tough. I think it built
character for our guys. We didn't die. We didn't give up or anything like that.
Butler is a quality team. We know we can play in the elements now.”
The elements also made for some quirky
plays, like a 9-4-6 fielder's choice RBI by Nick Kibbie when his wind-blown fly
ball dropped in front of Armstrong right fielder Justin Geidel, who then
alertly recovered, hit relay man Eddie Morris, who then threw to Dawson Porter
at second for a force out.
Isaiah Lucas scored on the play.
Butler was also aggressive on the base paths
with six stolen bases, including a swipe of third by Connor Ollio, who arrived
at the bag standing up.
“We talked earlier in the year — in past we
were a team that really didn't run that much,” said Herald, who is in his first
year as the head coach. “Being a younger coach that just finished playing, the
running game plays a big role. You get the defense moving around, holes open up
and things happen.”
Herald has distinct goals for his team in
that department.
“I want to lead the WPIAL in stolen bases,”
Herald said. “And I also want to lead the WPIAL in hit-by-pitches. That's a
free 90. That's a free base.”
Kibbie took that approach to the extreme in
the bottom of the fourth inning.
He stood motionless in the batter's box as a
looping curveball struck him in the helmet.
“That's sacrificing your body,” Herald said.
“They're doing a great job with that.”
Butler had a batter hit by a pitch Wednesday
against Vincentian Academy.
The Golden Tornado stranded 10 runners on
base and they managed just four hits. Connor Ollio had a two-run double in the
fourth to break the game open and give Butler a 7-2 lead.
Butler starter Garet Banner pitched well in
the tough conditions, striking out two and walking three in three innings.
Brandon Fleeger pitched the final two
frames.
Butler opens the section season Monday night
at The KAP against undefeated Pine-Richland.
“These games that we play early, we don't
take lightly,” Herald said. “Because if you do, what happens is you fall into a
routine in how you play and then the next thing you know, you're like, 'Uh,
oh,' and you realize you should have worked harder.”
That's not been a problem for the Golden
Tornado, which carried an intensity into the win against Armstrong.
“They've been doing a great job keeping
their energy up,” Herald said.
Armstrong 002 02x x — 4 3 2
Butler 304 0xx x — 7 4 1
W: Garrett Banner 3IP (2K, 3BB). L: Noah
Cyphert 1IP (0K, 4BB).
Armstrong (1-1): Reise Matson 2-1B 3-RBI,
Caleb Harriger RBI, Justin Geidel 1B
Butler (4-0): Nick Kibbie RBI, Connor Ollio
2B 2-RBI, Isaiah Lucas 1B, Jake Keene 1B 2-RBI, Justin Stewart 1B