Fennell leads way for E. Butler
EAST BUTLER — Whether it was with his arm or his bat, Ryan Fennell left his mark.
Fennell went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBI, and he pitched the final 2Z\c innings to lead East Butler to a 4-3 win over Center Township in Butler County American Legion baseball at Speed-O Field Thursday night.
"He's been a stud all year for us at the plate," said East Butler manager Carl Hays.
Fennell's double off the base of the center-field wall in the bottom of the first inning drove home Josh Reddick. His sharp single in the third plated Reddick again and his single in the fifth broke a 2-2 tie.
On the mound, Fennell relieved East Butler starting pitcher Zach Harbison in the top of the fifth with Center Township runners at first and third and got a ground out to end the threat.
In the seventh, Center Township put runners on second and third with one out trailing 4-3 and Fennell managed to escape by getting a ground out back to the mound and a strikeout.
Fennell got the win, but Harbison deserved an assist.
A right-hander with a deceptive delivery, he pitched well in his 4X\c innings, falling only one out shy of Hays' goal for his starting pitcher.
"I told him before the game, 'I don't want a complete game out of you,'" Hays said. "He was a little upset when I took him out, but I told him, 'You gave me everything I wanted out of you.' A 2-2 game in the fifth. I was happy."
East Butler, the defending BCAL champion, came into the season young with a fair share of question marks.
Still, the club finds itself 6-3 near the midway mark of the season.
"We're young, but we're getting better," Hays said. "We're a good team. Not a great team, but a good team."
Center Township came into the game undefeated at 7-0, but struggled at the plate against Harbison and Fennell.
Center Township also had trouble coming up with the clutch hit, stranding the bases loaded in the fourth inning, as well as two runners in the fifth and seventh frames.
"I think we were hitting the ball into the dirt a lot," said Center Township manager George Rader. "This field was a little slow, so those balls weren't getting through the infield."
Cole Baxter had two singles and two RBI for Center Township.
Joe Malardie got the loss for CT.
"We learned a lot from this game. I look forward to playing them again," Rader said.
Center Twp 000 020 1 — 3 7 1East Butler 101 011 x — 4 6 1W: Ryan Fennell 2Z\c IP (2 K, 1 BB).
L: Joe Malardie 6 IP (4 K, 3 BB).
Center Twp (7-1): Zach Rader 2B, Jacob Thompson 1B RBI, Cole Baxter 2-1B 2-RBI, Malardie 2B 2-R
East Butler (6-3): Josh Reddick 1B 2-R, Fennell 2B 2-1B 3-RBI, Zach Harbison 2B RBI
