SV forces final game with 13-4 win
Outbursts have been common for Seneca Valley’s bats this season, but it has become magnified during the Butler County Area Baseball League’s postseason.
Needing a victory Tuesday to force one final game for the championship in the double-elimination tournament, SV erupted, collecting 13 of its 15 hits in three innings of a 13-4 win over Butler Township at Pullman Park.
“We’ve gotten the bats rolling. We’re peaking at the right time,” said the team’s coach, Matt Baic.
Rather humble comments from the person who has sparked the effort.
“Mr. Baic is always texting us, urging us to go out and get our swings in,” said SV outfielder Dustin Horn, who singled twice and collected four RBI Tuesday. “Sometimes, it’s just one person. Other times, it’s a bunch of us. He’s the most passionate coach I’ve ever been around and when you have someone like that behind the operation, it makes a big difference.”
Butler (12-5) could have wrapped up the title with a win Tuesday. The crown will be decided Thursday when the teams meet at 7:30 p.m. at either Graham Park or Raider Field on the campus of Seneca Valley High School.
SV (12-9) broke the ice with two runs on four hits in the top of the third inning. Ryan Pospistle tripled and scored on a single from Casey Wilkins. After two outs, Seth Baic and Ethan Staudt repeated that sequence off Butler starting pitcher Ryan Hepfl.
But SV’s biggest swings came in the last two innings. It was clinging to a 2-1 lead when it came to the plate in the top of the sixth. With reliever David Leslie now on the mound, Conor Carney, Zach Snyder, Horn and Ethan Baer began the frame with four straight singles, which pushed the lead to 5-1.
Baer later scored on a double-steal and Evan Garbowsky came home on a wild pitch.
“They hit the ball really well, were making solid contact on fastballs,” said Butler coach Ty Friel. “We normally hit well, too, just not today.”
Butler’s No. 3 and 4 hitters in the lineup, Colin Patterson and Mattix Clement, combined for five of the team’s six hits. Clement tripled in Patterson in the bottom of the sixth and the former later came home on a wild pitch to cut Butler’s deficit to 7-3.
But any legitimate hopes for a rally were dashed with the six runs on five hits SV put up in the seventh against Butler’s third pitcher, Hayden Thompson. Horn drove in two with a single while Snyder and Baer both drove in a run with a base hit.
Wilkins pitched a complete game with 11 strikeouts and three walks.
“After we got a big lead, we were thinking about throwing someone else, but Casey said that his arm was already spoiled for Thursday so we left him in,” said Matt Baic. “This was his best performance of the year.”
Patterson singled home Kyle Yost in the bottom of the seventh, but Wilkins soon closed out the victory.
Butler and SV have now faced each other five times this season, with Butler winning three of the contests while scoring a total of 42 runs. SV has plated 51 runs.
“I always have an objective of scoring at least eight runs in any game in this league,” said Friel. “We know we need to put the ball in play, find the gaps and make plays on the base paths.”
Seneca Valley 002 005 6 — 13 15 0
Butler Twp. 000 102 1 — 4 6 2
W: Casey Wilkins 7 IP (11K, 3BB). L: Ryan Hepfl 5 IP (2K, 2BB).
Seneca Valley: Seth Baic 1B 3B 2R, Ethan Staudt 2-1B R RBI, Conor Carney 1B 2R, Zach Snyder 2-1B 2R RBI, Dustin Horn 2-1B 2R 4RBI, Ethan Baer 3-1B 2R 2RBI, Ryan Pospistle 3B R, Casey Wilkins 2-1B RBI
Butler Township: Colin Patterson 2-1B 2B 2R RBI, Mattix Clement 2B 3B R 2RBI
Thursday: Butler Township at Seneca Valley, BCABL title game, site TBD
