SLIPPERY ROCK — Prospect manager Paul Malley figured a few runs and a healthy Brandon Ray on the mound were all his team needed Tuesday.

He was right.

Ray, making only his second start after missing a month with an arm injury, pitched a two-hitter and struck out 11 batters in a 9-1 victory over Mars in the Butler County American Legion Baseball Tournament championship game.

Prospect went 4-0 in the playoffs to win the title and will face regular-season champion East Butler in a best-of-three playoff beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday atSpeed-O Field.

The winner of this series will be the league's lone representative in the upcoming Region 7 playoffs.

Mars would have needed to win Tuesday's game and another game today to win the playoffs and face East Butler.

Prospect broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth inning when it scored five runs on seven hits.

"I didn't want it that way," said Malley, laughing. "We came to play hard. We hit the ball hard. (Mars) made a lot of plays."

Mars manager Bob Steiner was impressed with the performance of Ray.

"That was just his second game back," said Steiner. "He was out for a while with arm problems. If he came back, you wouldn't expect that total effectiveness."

An RBI single by Mark White in the first inning got Prospect started, then the hosts tacked on two more runs in the third inning for a 3-0 lead.

After singles by Nick Cress and Adam Brydon put runners on the corners, White grounded into a fielder's choice to plate one run.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Travis McDougall beat out a grounder to first to score the second run of the inning, but Mars first baseman Chip Hasek threw the ball home to throw out Ryan Ferguson to end the inning.

Mars responded by scoring its lone run of the game in the fourth inning, a two-out RBI single by Justin Vancheri.

Mars pitcher Ryan Schroth, who pitched in Friday's 10-8 loss to Prospect and pitched 1X\c innings in Monday's 7-6 win over Meridian, was back on the hill and kept Mars in the game, allowing three runs on five hits in the first four innings of play.

Prospect, however, finally began to assume control of the game. An RBI double by Ferguson gave Prospect a 4-1 lead in the fifth before Prospect's big inning.

The sixth inning was an odd one as all eight batters who came to the plate reached base safely, tallying seven hits.

Jesse Badgett and Jarod Agostino had singles and Cress had a bunt single to load the bases.

Josh Weitzel had an RBI single, but Agostino was thrown out at home trailing Badgett.

White singled to load the bases before Ray lined a two-run single for a 7-1 lead. Ferguson walked to load the bases before Sean LeFebvre had a two-run single.

Ferguson and LeFebvre, however, were both erased on the basepaths to end the inning. That gave Prospect a total of three runners tagged out.

"There was a little bit of everything," said Malley. "You can be aggressive, but you also have to use your head. If you don't look at the guy ahead of you, you're going to get doubled up."

Prospect now turns its attention to No. 1 seed East Butler, which won its first playoff game but dropped the next two.

Malley likes what his team has been doing lately.

"Guys like Brandon, they're ready to win now," said Malley. "If we keep hitting the ball like that, we shouldn't have too many problems."

Mars 000 100 0—1 2 1Prospect 102 015 x—9 14 2Ryan Schroth and Justin Vancheri; Brandon Ray and Ryan Ferguson.

W: Ray (11 K, 2 BB).

L: Schroth (1 K, 3 BB).

Mars (16-8): Justin Vancheri 2-1B, RBI

Prospect (17-4): Nick Cress 2-1B; Adam Brydon 1B; Mark White 3-1B, 2 RBI; Brandon Ray 1B, 2 RBI; Ryan Ferguson 2B, RBI; Sean LeFebvre 1B, 2 RBI; Travis McDougall 1B, RBI; Jesse Badgett 1B, 2B; Jarod Agostino 1B; Josh Weitzel 1B, RBI

Thursday: Prospect at East Butler, 6 p.m.-Game 1 of Championship (best-of-three series)