Butler was searching for answers. Cody Herald provided a definitive one.

The BlueSox entered Monday’s Prospect League game against Richmond (Ind.) having lost three straight, including a pair of games in West Virginia over the weekend in which the former managed a combined three runs on seven hits.

Against the RiverRats, the Sox let a 4-1 lead slip away and were held scoreless on no hits from the fifth through the eighth inning.

Herald came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with the score tied at four and runners on first and third with one out. The Butler High School graduate fouled off several pitches before lacing a 3-2 curveball into left field, scoring Stephen Sada with the winning run in a 5-4 victory at Kelly Automotive Park.

“In baseball, you have to have a short memory,” said Herald of his team’s recent slide. “If you let things stay with you, bad things are going to happen.”

Sada began the ninth inning with a single to center, Butler’s first hit since the fourth frame. A wild pitch moved him to second and he took third on Collin Massanelli’s sacrifice bunt.

Richmond reliever Matt Brankle was ordered to intentionally walk Matt Peters to set up a potential double play, but Herald did not give the RiverRats (11-17) a chance to turn it.

“It was a good at-bat by Cody,” said Sox manager Anthony Rebyanski. “He battled a few balls. This is the kind of situation that we’ve struggled with the last few weeks, getting the big hit.”

Before Herald could win the game at the plate, Austin Ross was entrusted to avoid further damage on the mound. He entered the game with two on and no outs in the seventh, struck out Luke Cureton and got Zach Fairchild to line into a double play to get out of the inning.

Ross also pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth inning to earn the win with five strikeouts and one walk.

“Our starters aren’t going as deep as we would like, their pitch counts are high,” said Rebyanski. “Austin has been doing the job all year for us and he did it again tonight.”

Butler (16-13) plated three runs in the first inning off Richmond starter Reed Evans, who experienced control problems early.

With the bases loaded, he hit Stuart Levy with a pitch to bring home Massanelli with the game’s first run. Ryan Uhl followed with a two-run single that scored Peters and Nick Sell.

But Evans settled down afterward.

Over the next six innings, he allowed one run — Peters’ sacrifice fly scored Russell Clark in the fourth — on two hits.

“He started throwing more strikes and was working both sides of the plate,” Herald said.

Evans was relieved by Adam Manner, who worked a scoreless eighth inning.

The story of Butler’s pitching began with starter Dave Bednar. The Mars High graduate allowed one run on four hits through his first five innings, but encountered trouble in the sixth.

Kyle Jackson’s one-out single was followed by a walk to Cureton, prompting Rebyanski to bring in Kyle Zaorski.

The reliever allowed both inherited runners to score, closing the book on Bednar, who had eight strikeouts and a pair of walks.

Zaorski also allowed an RBI-single to Brendon Neel that tied the game at four later in the sixth.

After surrendering two hits to begin the top of the seventh, Zaorski was relieved by Ross.

Sada had three hits for the BlueSox.

Richmond manager Tyler Lairson was unavailable for comment.

Butler will host the RiverRats again today at 6:35 p.m.

Richmond 001 003 000 — 4 11 0

Butler 300 100 001 — 5 7 0

W: Austin Ross 3 IP (4K, 1BB). L: Matt Brankle 1/3 IP (0K, 1BB).

Richmond (11-17): Michael Paez R RBI, Brendon Neel 2-1B 2RBI, Ryan Leffel 2-1B, Kyle Jackson 3-1B R, Luke Cureton R, Zach Fairchild 2-1B R, Joe Schrimpf 1B RBI, Nick Sergakis 2B

Butler (16-13): Stephen Sada 3-1B R, Collin Massanelli R, Matt Peters 1B R RBI, Cody Herald 1B RBI, Nick Sell R, Stuart Levy RBI, Ryan Uhl 1B 2RBI, Russell Clark R, Taylor Schmidt 1B

Today: Richmond at Butler