A defensive gem helped the Butler BlueSox survive a Chillicothe rally Friday night.

The Paints had already scored one run in the bottom of the ninth inning and had the bases loaded with one out when Chad Roberts came to the plate. In the sixth pitch of the at-bat, Roberts lined a shot back to relief pitcher Zach Spangler, who caught the ball before throwing to third base to double off Justin Dages and preserve a 5-4 nail biter of a win for Butler.

The game’s final sequence made a winner out of starting pitcher and Butler High School graduate Tyler Slepski, who allowed three runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings.

Tim Faix and Eli Martin combined for 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, setting the stage for Spangler’s league-leading 11th save of the season.

The Sox (16-15, 3-1) trailed 2-1 before plating three runs in the top of the seventh inning to take the lead for good. Matt Hansen drove in one run with a single and was on base when David Marcus drilled his fifth home run of the season.

Hansen and Ty White both ended the game with three hits.

Butler returns home to begin a two-game series against Jamestown at 7:05 p.m. Saturday.