Butler Edges North Allegheny, 2-1
A bases loaded hit batsman in the top of the seventh inning proved to be the difference in the ballgame as the Butler Golden Tornado edged the North Allegheny Tigers on Wednesday night, 2-1.
Runs came at a premium in this Section 1-AAAA battle and the game stayed scoreless until the top of the fifth inning. With two on and two out, a North Allegheny error allowed junior Nick Patten to score to give the Golden Tornado a 1-0 lead.
North Allegheny found the equalizer in the bottom of the sixth inning when a Mitch Machi double to left scored Dan Trettel and the game was knotted up, 1-1.
Butler regained the lead a half inning later and a one out single by Nickalas Reamer opened the door. Kyle Campbell followed with a single and a walk to Garrett Goslaw loaded the bases with one out. Trying work his way through the jam, reliever Tyler Saundry struck out Reid Werth and it appeared the Tigers might squeak through the inning unscathed. However, senior Ryan Denny was plunked by Saundry two pitches later and the Golden Tornado grabbed a 2-1 advantage heading into the bottom of the seventh. North Allegheny did get two men to reach in the final frame, but Trettel flied out to left to end the ballgame and Butler held on for a one-run victory.
The Tigers received a strong start from Jason Monper who allowed just one unearned run on one hit in five innings while striking out six. Saundry punched out three batters in two innings of relief, but suffered the loss. Junior Mark Gross earned the win for Butler with six innings on the bump, surrendering only one run on three hits.
Following the loss, the Tigers drop to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in section play. Butler improves to 6-2 overall and 3-0 in Section 1-AAAA. North Allegheny will need to bounce back quickly for a WPIAL title game rematch with the Seneca Valley Raiders this afternoon at 4:00. The road contest will be broadcast live via the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network.
Line Score - NA Baseball vs. Butler, 4/9/14
| Score by Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| North Allegheny | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 |