Rey Gonzalez had never had a walk-off hit in his long baseball career.

Not in Little League. Not in high school in Orlando, Fla., and not even at the University of Northern Florida.

“I've given up a few, though,” Gonzalez quipped.

He experienced his first as a hitter — and certainly a more joyous occasion — with a sharp one-out, bases-loaded single to right in the bottom of the ninth to give the Butler BlueSox a 4-3 win and a four-game sweep of Chillicothe Thursday night at Kelly Automotive Park.

The BlueSox are now just a half-game behind Champion City for first place in the Prospect League East Division standings with a big three-game set against the Kings in Springfield, Ohio, beginning tonight.

“I'm very happy with the group of guys that I have,” said Butler manager Cody Herald. “Anybody on this team can come up with that big moment.”

It was Gonzalez on Thursday.

Butler watched a 3-1 lead evaporate in the top of the sixth inning as Chillicothe plated a pair of runs against BlueSox starting pitcher Nick Bucci to tie the game.

Butler graduate Wyatt Daugherty threw two masterful innings of relief, striking out four and giving up just one hit after Bryce Spak had tossed a scoreless seventh to set up the ninth-inning heroics.

The rally started with a strikeout.

Calvin Scott fanned, but reached first on a wild pitch. A walk and a bunt single loaded the bases for hot-hitting Patrick Ferguson.

Ferguson, though, grounded into a fielder's choice on a ball that could have been a double play, but was bobbled by Chillicothe first baseman Chad Roberts.

Gonzalez then turned around a 1-2 fastball from Nic Laio and sent it sizzling past diving Paints' second baseman Drake Peggs into right for the walk-off win.

“The previous at-bat I faced that kid and I hit it hard right at the shortstop,” Gonzalez said. “I just wanted to hit it hard again. I got into a 1-2 count, which isn't where you want to be with the bases loaded to win the game, but I saw a pitch over the plate.”

And he delivered.

So have the BlueSox this week with four wins over the struggling Paints.

The win also came in the 500th game in Butler BlueSox history. Well, technically it was the 499th — Butler has to conclude a suspended game yet this season.

“We finally put a whole week together,” Gonzalez said. “Hopefully we can keep that going on the road at Champion City and get into first place.”

Gonzalez and the BlueSox, however, aren't letting this sweep go to their heads.

“In baseball, it doesn't matter if it's a good day or a bad day,” Gonzalez said. “You wipe the slate clean the next day.”

Bucci was touched up for a home run in the top of the third off the bat of Tyler Cowles, but cruised into the sixth when he ran into his only real trouble.

Butler snagged a 3-1 lead thanks in large part to a two-run double by Ferguson.

“I think this is all-around the best we've played, these last four games,” Herald said. “We're doing the little things right.”

Chillicothe 000 102 000 — 3 7 1

Butler 000 300 001 — 4 10 0

One out when winning run scored

W: Wyatt Daugherty 2IP (4K, 0BB). L: Nic Laio 2.1IP (4K, 1BB).

Chillicothe (19-21): Neil Lambert 1B, Chad Roberts 1B, Tyler Cowles HR 1B RBI, Dalton Bollinger 2B RBI, Michael Ryan 2-1B RBI

Butler (22-17): Ben Carew 3-1B, Pavin Parks 1B, Brady Gulakowski 1B, Kristian Webb 1B, Patrick Ferguson 2B 2-RBI, Rey Gonzalez 1B RBI, Erek Bolton 1B, Damian Maglione 1B

Today: Butler at Champion City