Butler made a strong case for one of the last two playoff berths from the Southwestern 4A with a 6-4 win over South Mecklenburg Friday that took more than four hours to finish.
Butler (13-9, 6-7) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning with a two-out rally. Malachi Hanes hit a double that scored two runs followed by an RBI single by centerfielder Chase Gehringer.
The Bulldogs extended the lead two innings later with a two-RBI double by Gehringer, giving Butler a 5-0 lead after four innings.
South Meck (14-8, 8-5) finally got the bats going in the top of the fifth inning, first on an RBI double by Brooks Kennedy.
The Sabres then loaded the bases with no outs. Butler pitcher Matt Baltimore almost got out of trouble by striking out the next two batters, but then he threw a wild pitch that allowed South Meck’s Logan Koch to score.
Baltimore recovered the bad pitch and tried to throw Koch out at the plate, but he overthrew the catcher and Kennedy also scored from second on the play.
A single by Earl Oliver scored the final run of the inning for South Meck and the Sabres got within one run going into the bottom of the fifth.
But Butler added one more run when Dalton Eisenbath scored on a failed pickoff attempt, giving the Bulldogs a 6-4 lead in the bottom of the fifth.
Soon after, lightning and rain delayed the game for nearly two hours. When play finally resumed close to 11 p.m., Tyler Wilson finished the game on the mound for Butler, pitching one and one-thirds scoreless innings to give the Bulldogs the win.
Butler entered the game in a four-way tie for fourth place in the conference. Five teams from the Southwestern 4A will make the state playoffs.
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