Butler wanted to play small ball.

Pine-Richland played long ball.

T.J. Kuban hit a towering two-run home run over the 385-foot sign in left-center field at Pullman Park to give the Rams a 2-0 lead in the first inning on the way to a 5-2 baseball triumph Monday.

The early lead was big for Pine-Richland coach Kurt Wolfe. The scouting report on the Golden Tornado is clear: Don't let them get a lead.

"I've scouted enough Butler games to know that you can't fall behind against them," Wolfe said. "They'll bunt anybody. They'll bunt the cleanup hitter. They'll small ball you to death."

But it wasn't until the Rams tacked on two more runs in the third inning on a two-run single by designated hitter Matt Yoklic that Butler coach Dave Florie had to adjust his small-ball plan.

"It takes you a little bit out of your bunting game, out of moving people over," Florie said. "At 2-0, we weren't real concerned because we figured we could get two. But at 4-0, you had to be a little more conservative with everything."

Pine-Richland (14-1, 7-1) knocked Butler starter Joey Marak out of the game after three innings. Marak gave up four runs on seven hits, striking out one and walking one.

Left-hander Zac Sessa kept Butler in the game, though, with three nearly flawless innings, surrendering one run on one hit. The run scored when Mitch Elliott walked, reached second on a balk, stole third and scored on a wild pitch.

"That, to me, was the biggest run of the game," Wolfe said. "What bothers me is we got one hit after the third inning, and, in this section, you have to play everyone seven innings."

The Golden Tornado (10-5, 5-3) had two golden chances to put some pressure on the Rams.

Butler loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth inning with no outs against Pine-Richland starter Matt Berezo, but could score only two runs.

Berezo, who had cruised through the first four innings by getting seven groundball outs, struggled with his command.

But the right-hander got a strikeout and a weak pop up to shallow left field and needed only one more out to get out of the frame unscathed.

But Dustin Uhlman followed with a bases-loaded walk and John Crummy singled home the second run of the inning before Berezo got a strikeout to end the inning and his night.

In the seventh, Butler's first two batters reached, but the Golden Tornado could not score against Rams relief pitcher Chris Kosty.

"We had the opportunities," Florie said. "Timely hitting goes a long way."

The key to Pine-Richland's success this season has been treating every team like the Yankees, Wolfe said.

"In this section," the coach said, "you have to."

The Golden Tornado are in third place in the section, one game ahead of Seneca Valley and two games behind the Rams with four league games remaining.

Pine-Richland 202 010 0 5 8 0Butler 000 020 0 2 8 1W: Matt Berezo (5 IP) 4 K, 3 BB.

L: Joey Marak (3 IP) 1 K, 1 BB.

Pine-Richland (14-1, 7-1): Zach Laneve 2-1B; T.K. Kuban HR, 1B, 2-RBI; Matt Yoklic 1B, 2-RBI

Butler (10-5, 5-3): Dustin Uhlman 1B, RBI; John Crummy 2-1B, RBI

Today: Butler at North Hills