Butler starter Hunter Richardson shut out the Trojans on just one hit through the first four innings. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Lee Woolery)
Held to just two hits for the first five innings, Vandalia Butler exploded in the final two at bats to blank Troy at Market Street Field, 9-0.
Troy, OH – After all those years at Butler High School, and all those wins, when coach Trent Dues tells you he has a few arms – some pitching – and that eventually the rest of the Aviators game will catch up…you listen.
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And once again he proved it on Tuesday afternoon, with junior starter Hunter Richardson (3-0 and a University of Kentucky recruit) limiting Troy to just one hit through four while holding onto a 1-0 Aviator lead.
Ironically, Troy showed some pitching of its own with freshman Nate McDowell on the mound. And Butler took quick advantage in the top of the first…on an error by shortstop Ryder Kirtley, and a two-out RBI double by Austin Flohre to go up 1-0.
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And good that they got what they did, when they did, because from that point McDowell gave the Trojans every chance to win the game, pitching the next four innings, allowing Butler just one additional hit through five innings.
But Troy’s offense amounted to little more than a double by freshman infielder Brady O’Leary in the second inning. Other than that…crickets!
The game was still 1-0 going into the top of the sixth when Butler finally gained the measure of Nate McDowell. Visibly tiring, he gave up a hit to start the inning, then a disastrous assortment of walks, hit batsmen, a stolen base…he just lost it…as Butler used all that chaos to plate four runs and take a 5-0 lead.
Troy’s Brady O’Leary got the only Trojan hit off Hunter Richardson…a second inning double.
“I think he was pretty good, the freshman McDowell, their pitcher,” said Dues, afterward. “Threw strikes and we didn’t kill the ball, but he got a little tired late and we took advantage of that.”
And they took advantage again in the seventh, scoring four more times on the remnants of Troy’s bullpen, given that Ty Welker was doing his best to save some pitching for game 2 of this home-and-home series tomorrow, when the same two teams meet in Vandalia. The Aviators improved to 7-2, overall, and 4-0 in the uncertain MVL North Division…the clear favorite at this point with what they’ve shown from ‘those’ arms.
“We’ve got some decent arms,” assured Dues. “You saw Hunter (Richardson) today, and he’s still building up his pitch count. Mason Reckner’s good, Alex Ables is good, and we got others because a lot of our position players pitch. No one throws 95 miles per hour, but they throw strikes and make the other team hit the ball.
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“And we only got five hits today, but the more we play the better we’re going to hit.
It marked just the second loss of the year for Troy (7-2, MaxPreps), but Ty Welker saw enough to like, despite being held to just 2 hits by Butler’s pitching.
Troy freshman Nate McDowell held Butler to just two hits over the first five innings.
“Nate (McDowell) was good,” said Welker of his freshman righthander. “And I don’t think the score was indicative of the game for the first six innings. We were in the game until things got out of hand there at the end, Nate’s a competitor, he went out there and did his job for those first five innings.
“And it’s hard to win when you don’t hit,” he added. “And we didn’t get a hit when it mattered. I think we got guys on second base four times and no one got the hit. But I think we’re in a good place. We actually have ten games in at this point, so we’re ahead of everyone for that matter. But tonight we just didn’t hit. But I think we’ll be fine.”
Tomorrow, weather willing, they’ll meet in Vandalia for what Dues assured with be a “nail biter”.
“I don’t know who we’ll pitch,” he smiled. “Might be Johnny Wholestaff.”
Nor did he look concerned about it, either!
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