Breathing easy
No one-run win needed this time.
The Butler baseball team, which has made a habit of playing nailbiters this season, had an easier time in dispatching North Hills at Kelly Automotive Park Thursday night.
The Golden Tornado offense put together a pair of four-run innings and Jesse Savisky was masterful again on the mound as Butler cruised to a 9-0 win over the Indians.
Butler (8-2, 5-0) came into the game with five one-run wins this season. Having a comfortable lead was a welcome change.
“It was definitely refreshing, both on the pitching staff and our hitters,” said Butler coach Todd Erdos. “They can go out there and not squeeze the bat feeling like it's a do-or-die situation. Their approach is a lot more loose.”
Butler scored a run in the bottom of the first inning on a wild pitch and then added four more in the third, keyed by a two-run double by Ryan Vero, to give Savisky plenty of run support.
Savisky did the rest, striking out six and walking three in six innings of work.
North Hills (5-5, 2-3) didn't have a runner reach second base until the fourth inning and didn't have two batters reach in the same inning until the sixth.
Mark Gross pitched a perfect seventh inning to close things out for Butler.
“We haven't had back-to-back hits in 16 innings,” said North Hills coach Randy Miller, whose team was also shut out by North Allegheny Wednesday. “Our success this year has come when we've hit and scored a lot of runs. The last two nights we haven't put a run on the board.”
Butler blew the game open with four more runs in the fifth. Nathan Kibbie had an RBI single, Garrett Goslaw drove in two runs with a single and then Reid Werth doubled home Goslaw for a 9-0 lead.
The game nearly ended by mercy rule, but North Hills' left fielder Chad Meyer made a diving catch to end the inning.
Vero went 3-for-3 and Goslaw, Werth and Kibbie also had multi-hit games for Butler, which has scored 19 runs in the last two games.
Coming off a two-win campaign last year, Butler has finished the first half of the section season in 2014 undefeated.
It's a stark turnaround and a very satisfying one for the Golden Tornado.
“I'm very excited,” Erdos said. “Our kids have all worked hard and they are going to continue to work hard. It's only the first half of the section and it's wonderful to be 5-0, but it's all going to depend on how we finish. Everyone has seen us once and they know what we have. They'll probably be gunning for us a little more.”
North Hills 000 000 0 — 0 4 1
Butler 104 040 x — 9 11 0
W: Jesse Savisky 6IP (6K, 3BB). L: Josh Kaminski 3IP (2K, 3BB).
North Hills (5-5, 2-3): Brendan Burke 1B, Vince Ruggieri 1B, Tyler Pusateri 1B, Chad Meyer 1B
Butler (8-2, 5-0): Garrett Goslaw 2-1B RBI, Reid Werth 2B 1B RBI, Cory Wheeler 1B, Ryan Vero 2-1B 2B 2-RBI, Ryan Denny 1B, Nathan Kibbie 2-1B RBI
Tuesday: Butler at New Castle
