Butler BlueSox pitcher Connor Coward flummoxed Jamestown Jammers lead-off hitter Dominique Jackson with a fastball for strike two in the third inning.

Jackson walked out of the batter’s box muttering to himself, trying to regain his composure.

When Coward followed with a curveball, Jackson couldn’t check his swing and retreated to the bench fuming.

Jamestown, which tortured Butler by winning the first four meetings between the two teams, never solved Coward during the BlueSox’s 5-1 Prospect League East Division win Sunday at Kelly Automotive Park.

“We knew going in we had to have a little bit of an attitude and bring something else to the table because it wasn’t getting it done earlier,” said Coward, a Seneca Valley graduate. “The important thing for me is to get my curveball across early and that happened in the first inning.”

The win gave Butler a series split, with Jamestown winning 3-1 Saturday.

Coward, now a sophomore at Virginia Tech, pitched eight innings and struck out nine batters.

“Usually when he comes out in the first inning and he’s throwing strikes, he’s pretty good,” Butler manager Jason Radwan said. “He only had that one bad start in West Virginia. After that start, he’s been our ace going forward. He’s been really good for us and we hope that continues.”

Radwan’s hoping the current stretch will continue for the BlueSox.

Butler (17-16 overall, 4-2 second half) has won seven of its last 10 games and is tied with Champion City for the second-half division lead.

The BlueSox, who finished fourth in the first half, will have a few days to rest.

Butler won’t play again until Friday as the league pauses for the All-Star game, which will be contested Wednesday in Richmond, Ind.

“We’re hitting the ball a lot better than we were earlier in the season,” Radwan said. “We’re getting more two-out hitting and situational hitting.”

This outing was important for Coward, who is trying to improve his consistency.

During the college season, Coward had trouble with his mental approach, which impacted his control. He mentioned a game against nationally-ranked Florida State in March, where he came on in relief in front of a crowd of 12,000 people and didn’t record an out.

Coward walked three batters and allowed two runs in the Hokies’ 19-9 loss. Against Jamestown, Coward scattered six hits and walked one batter.

“I’ve had some fair share of struggles with control during my college season and that was a big priority going into summer,” said Coward, who is 2-1 with Butler. “This is the first game I’ve thrown that I’ve had my stuff like I did in high school and it’s a good turning point for me.”

Jamestown, which finished with nine hits, plated its only run in the fifth inning on a RBI groundout by David Goggin.

Jammers coach Anthony Barone credited Coward for getting ahead in counts.

“The last couple weeks we’ve been fighting some bad approaches,” Barone said. “Maybe this all-star game will be good for us. We need a little rest.”

Matt Hansen helped make sure Coward’s effort wasn’t wasted.

In the third inning, Tyler Sullivan and Dan Hrbek both connected with two-out singles off Jamestown starting pitcher Pat Mace.

Hansen then knocked a ground ball into right field to plate Sullivan. Hrbek came in on a wild pitch to put the BlueSox ahead 2-0.

“The two guys ahead of me got hits, I was thinking the pitcher wants to get out of it as quick as he can,” Hansen said. “He kept trying to come after me. I was ready to hit the first pitch and he gave me a fastball.”

Mitchell Machi extended the lead to 3-1 when he singled in David Marcus in the sixth inning.

A single from Marcus and a fielder’s choice allowed Butler to add two more runs in the seventh.

That was enough for Coward, who kept sending the Jammers (21-14, 2-3) back to the dugout searching for answers.

Jamestown 000 010 000 — 1 7 1

Butler 002 001 20x — 5 9 1

W: Connor Coward 8IP (9K, 1BB). L: Pat Mace 6IP (6K, 2BB).

Butler (17-16, 4-2): Tyler Sullivan 2-1B 2B, Dan Hrbek 1B RBI, Matt Hansen 2-1B RBI, David Marcus 1B RBI, Mitchell Machi 1B RBI, Michael Patrick 1B.

Jamestown (21-14, 2-3): Paxton De La Garza 1B, Austin Alonge 2-1B, Nick Vehlewald 2-1B, Cole Heili 1B, David Goggan 2B RBI

Wednesday: Prospect League All-Star Game