Inaccurate power hurts
EAST BUTLER — Dustin Hilgar was throwing hard.
He just didn't always know
where he was throwing.On the mound for the first time this season, the Butler City pitcher was throwing in the 90-mph neighborhood. When he was spotting that zipping fastball, the tall right-hander was effective.When he wasn't spotting it, he got into trouble.East Butler took advantage of every mistake, no matter how minute, in a 9-3 win at Speed-O-Field Thursday in the winners bracket final of the Butler County American Legion baseball tournament."Walks killed us," said Butler City coach Jerry Piroch. "Every walk and hit batter scored."East Butler scored seven times off Hilgar in the bottom of the third inning on five singles, four wild pitches, four stolen bases, two hit batters and a walk.Evan Oswald had three hits, two RBI and three stolen bases. As a team, East Butler stole five bases and moved up on seven wild pitches.Hilgar was throwing so hard that Butler City catcher John Campbell had to put an extra layer of gauze around his left hand to catch the ball."(Campbell) said he couldn't take it," Piroch said. "(Hilgar) was smoking it. But the problem was, when he reared back and let it fly, it wasn't a strike."With seven runs in his back pocket, East Butler pitcher Greg Hays went back to work.He retired 11 straight to start the game and had a 1-hitter heading into the sixth inning before Butler City scored three runs, but only one was earned.With two outs and a runner on second, East Butler manager Carl Hays brought Oswald in to stop the bleeding. Oswald threw one pitch to get out of the inning, then tossed a perfect seventh to secure the win."He's sneaky," Carl Hays said of Oswald. "Not many people realize he can pitch."Carl Hays said his starter tired in the sixth inning."He wanted to finish the game, but it was time to take him out," Hays said.Greg Hays struck out seven and gave up only three hits in 5 2/3 innings.On Saturday at a site and time to be determined, Butler City will play the winner of tonight's Meridian-Center Township matchup.East Butler will play the survivor of Meridian, Center Township and Butler City in the championship game Saturday night at a site to be determined.Piroch saved Hilgar for the playoffs after running out of pitching in the tournament last season.He won't have the same problem this year, even if he needs to play three games in two days to become BCAL tournament champions."We're still playing ball," Piroch said. "That's the bottom line."
Butler City 000 003 0 — 3 3 1East Butler 007 011 x — 9 12 2W: Greg Hays (5 2/3 IP) 7 K, 1 BB.
L: Dustin Hilgar (6 IP) 7 K, 3 BB.
Butler City: Jeff Slater 2B, 1B, RBI; Jose Cumba 2B, RBI
East Butler: Evan Oswald 3-1B, 2-RBI, 3-SB; Nick Rossmiller 3B; Hays 1B, RBI; Ryan Fennell 2-1B, RBI; Adam Bresnahan 1B, RBI; Dalton Steighner 1B, RBI
