BUTLER TWP — Momentum swings in lacrosse can be fickle, often not staying with one team for long.

Butler held on to one long enough to manage a decisive run Friday night against Peters Township.

The Golden Tornado scored six straight goals in a span of just over 13 minutes, taking the game from a 4-4 tie in the second quarter to a 10-4 Butler advantage late in the third.

The Tornado withstood a late Indians’ rally and prevailed 12-8 at Art Bernardi Stadium.

“Our play was fantastic tonight,” said Butler coach Brandon Hoskinson. “Though, I can’t imagine what it would have been if we didn’t turn the ball over as much as we did.

“All three phases did well for us tonight.”

Peters Township is a WPIAL Division I program. Butler will be competing at that level next season.

“This win helps us realize that we can get to the WPIAL (Division II) championship this year,” said Butler junior attackman J.J. Raab, who scored four goals in Friday’s victory. “We just need to play well, play together.”

Peters Township coach Mike McBride had a different point of view.

“We just don’t seem to be ready to play on any given night,” he said.

Butler’s spurt began when Raab beat Indians’ goalie John Smith with 2:58 remaining on the second-quarter clock.

Cody Bachman scored the next three for Butler, the first two of those making the score 7-4 at intermission.

Tanner Kotch and Raab closed the run with two more goals.

The third-period scoring came against Indians’ freshman goalie Michael Layton, who replaced Smith at the start of the second half.

“We got the ball to our attack and were able to take control,” said Raab. “We executed well.”

“Sometimes, once a team gets a few good looks at the cage, everything starts to come together,” added Hoskinson. “At halftime, we tried to treat it like it was a 0-0 game. A three-goal lead in lacrosse, with that much time left, is really nothing.”

Trailing 10-4, Peters Township began its comeback attempt with two goals just 48 seconds apart late in the third period.

The second tally, scored by Connor Pike with just 10 seconds left in the quarter, was aided by a two-man advantage after a double foul was called on Butler.

The Indians (9-3) tallied two more goals early in the fourth to cut their deficit to 10-8.

“We finally started to possess the ball on offense,” said McBride of his team’s 4-0 run. “We had a few penalties go our way, some earned and some not.”

However, Butler would score the game’s remaining goals, Kotch with 4:52 left and Chandler Harvey with 18 seconds on the clock.

Bachman joined Raab in scoring four times for Butler and Kotch added three goals and three assists.

Josh Jablonski tallied five saves in net for the Tornado.

Butler (6-2) will host Baldwin on Monday.