BlueSox snap out of skid

By Jason Orfao Eagle Staff Writer

July 01, 2013 Last Updated: July 01, 2013 01:23 PM Amateur

During a four-game losing streak, it seemed the Butler BlueSox couldn’t catch a break.

The BlueSox got one Sunday night and took full advantage.

Butler capitalized on an error to score the go-ahead run and the bullpen shut down the Richmond RiverRats the rest of the way to earn a 3-2 Prospect League victory at Pullman Park.

It was the second nine-inning game of the day, as Saturday’s contest was suspended in the top of the first inning and resumed Sunday afternoon. Richmond (13-17) took a 2-0 lead into Sunday and claimed a 5-2 win.

Butler (16-14) bounced back, erased an early 2-0 deficit and avoided a fifth straight defeat. It didn’t take much for BlueSox manager Anthony Rebyanski to summarize the importance of salvaging a win.

“One word,” he said. “Huge.”

The BlueSox pounded out 43 hits, but managed only 15 runs during the four-game skid.

“We’ve been getting the hits, we just haven’t put the hits together at the right time,” said Rebyanski. “The runs were far and few. It just didn’t match up with the amount of hits we had.”

Coincidentally, Butler scored one run in the sixth inning and two more in the seventh on just one hit.

Tyler Detmer drew a leadoff walk in the sixth before Alex Jurich — who doubled and homered in the first game — was hit by a pitch. Taylor Schmidt bunted them over and Detmer scooted home on a wild pitch.

Dylan Wolsonovich — a newcomer to the BlueSox — was plunked to start the seventh inning, Ryan Fitzgerald singled him to third and he scored on a sacrifice fly to deep left-center field from Matt Peters.

It appeared Butler would settle for a tie game when Alex Jurich hit a grounder to shortstop, but the throw from Trevor Kimm bounced past first base and allowed Fitzgerald to score the game-winning run.

Wolsonovich shined in his first start with the BlueSox. The University of Pittsburgh product was 3-for-3 with a double at the plate and played a clean game at second base.

The pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together for Rebyanski, who has been forced to juggle the lineup with a short bench. Pat McCarthy returns to the BlueSox this week and Rebyanski hopes Butler High graduate Cody Herald will be available by mid July. Herald hasn’t played since hitting a foul ball off his face on June 14.

“Dylan is going to be a good, solid middle infielder for us,” said Rebyanski. “I think this is the first time all year that I’ve actually had a position player on the bench available. We’ll get McCarthy on Tuesday and we have the one spot left with Cody still being out. Once he’s here and we have everybody here, that versatility is going to come into play.”

Oddly, Grove City High graduate and Slippery Rock University pitcher Jon Anderson was the starter for both games that finished Sunday. He threw 16 pitches on Saturday before rain suspended the action and started on the hill for Game 2.

The RiverRats plated two runs in the top of the first inning, but Anderson rebounded and retired 13 of the next 14 batters.

Kris Cayton made a diving catch in shallow right-center field to save a run and end a threat in the sixth inning. It was the last batter Anderson faced. He allowed two earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts and one walk.

“That’s what you want out of him. He’s a battler, you can see it in his eyes,” said Rebyanski. “He’s not going to overpower you and get 13, 14 strikeouts in an outing. He just has to work down in the zone and he did that.”

Grove City High graduate Jason Revesz picked up the win in relief, Tyler Swarmer pitched a scoreless eighth and Adam Tyson closed it out for his third save of the season.

The BlueSox finished the first half of the Prospect League season in third place, two games behind West Virginia — which clinches a playoff spot by winning the first-half division title — and one game back of Chillicothe.

“We just have to keep playing,” Rebyanski said. “Our first goal of the year to finish the first half in first didn’t happen, so we have to move on to the next goal.

“Our next goal is to finish in the top two come the last game of the season,” he added. “We have about a month and a week left and we just have to keep playing our style.”

Notes: Cayton and Alex Miklos appealed their one-game suspensions for being ejected in Game 2 of Friday’s doubleheader and started Saturday. Miklos was 2-for-4 with a double and Cayton went 3-for-3. ... Richmond manager Tyler Lairson could not be reached for comment.

Game 1

Started Saturday but was suspended until Sunday with two outs in the top of the first due to rain.

Richmond 210 200 000 — 5 8 0

Butler 000 100 001 — 2 10 1

W: Matt Brankle 9IP (1K, 2BB). L: Jon Anderson 2-3 IP (0K, 1BB).

Richmond (13-16): Jason Blum 2B, 1B, R, RBI; Robbie Stein R; Trevor Kimm 2B, 1B, R, 2-RBI; Jacob Bosiokovic 2B, R; Ryan Akins 1B; Caleb Woodson 1B

Butler (15-14): Alex Miklos 2B, 1B; Matt Peters R; Alex Jurich HR, 2B, R, 2-RBI; Russell Clark 2-1B; Josh Forbes 2B; Kris Cayton 3-1B

Game 2

Richmond 200 000 000 — 2 6 1

Butler 000 001 20x — 3 8 0

W: Jason Revesz 1IP (0K, 0BB). L: Logan Tabor 1-3 IP (0K, 0BB). SV: Adam Tyson 1IP (1K, 0BB).

Richmond (13-17): Robbie Stein 3B, 1B, R; Jacob Bosiokovic 2-2B, R, RBI; Ryan Akins 3B, RBI; Ted Williams 1B, SB