Tight spots don’t bother Zach Spangler.

Good thing. He was in a few of them Friday night.

The Butler closer stranded five Chillicothe runners on base in his 1 2/3 innings of relief to earn the save as the BlueSox completed a two-game sweep of Chillicothe with a 3-1 win at Kelly Automotive Park.

Spangler, a Seneca Valley graduate and freshman at Kent State University, was the third reliever used in a tumultuous eighth inning for Butler.

Chillicothe loaded the bases with one out after a solo home run by Derek Hug in the eighth inning against BlueSox relievers Tim Faix and Jon Laird in a 3-1 game.

But Spangler came in and got Paints’ No. 9 hitter Justin Dages to hit a ground ball to second baseman Mark DeVita, who tagged out Chad Roskelly and then threw to first to get Dages to end the inning.

In the ninth, Chillicothe (4-5) put two runners on with one out before Spangler got a groundout and a strikeout to end the game.

“I just knew I had to keep the ball down the whole time and keep it in the infield, especially in the eighth inning,” Spangler said. “In the ninth inning, I knew I had to attack hitters and I had to battle.”

And battle Spangler did. The right-hander, who is a sidewinder, threw 30 pitches — but 21 were for strikes.

It was one of Spangler’s most difficult saves.

“That’s for sure,” said Butler manager Jason Radwan.

“The big thing he did was he got up on the hitters and got ahead. He was rarely down in the count,” Radwan added. “Then he could throw whatever pitch he wanted. He threw his slider a lot for strikes and got ground balls. Obviously, he’s our closer right now and that’s something he wants to do when he goes back to college.”

It was Spangler’s fourth save already this season and second in as many nights.

He still hasn’t given up a run and has surrendered just one hit to go with one walk in four innings.

He’s also struck out seven.

“It’s good experience for him,” Radwan said. “He’s coming along as a closer. He’s good. It’s not like he doesn’t throw hard. He throws hard and he has that slow slider.”

It was a decided Butler County connection for the BlueSox as Grove City graduate Jon Anderson picked up the win.

Anderson, though, wasn’t sharp. He lasted just five innings, striking out four and walking three. He didn’t give up a run, however.

Butler pushed across a run in the bottom of the second inning without a hit thanks to the wildness of Chillicothe starter Tom Colletti, who walked five in four innings of work.

Colletti walked the first two batters he faced in the second inning and Ty White scored on a groundout by DeVita.

Butler extended its lead to 3-0 with a clutch two-run double off the bat of Michael Patrick in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Up to that point, the BlueSox had stranded nine runners on base through the first five innings.

“It was really good to see (the clutch hit), especially from Mike Patrick. He’s been struggling lately,” Radwan said. “His timing has been a little bit off because he really hasn’t seen any live pitching. He red-shirted this season (at Morehead State University). It was good for him to break out and get a big hit for us.”

Chillicothe couldn’t get the big hit, however.

The Paints left 13 runners on base in the game.

For Butler (5-4), the two-game sweep at home against a traditional Prospect League power is a positive development as the BlueSox travel to Champion City for a weekend series.

“It’s a good sign. People are becoming more comfortable,” Radwan said. “Chillicothe is always a good team in the Prospect League and any time you can win at home, especially against a good team, you’ll take it because it’s so tough to win on the road. The team is starting to come together a little bit.”

Chillicothe 000 000 010 — 1 10 2

Butler 010 002 00x — 3 7 1

W: Jon Anderson 5IP (4K, 3BB). L: Tom Colletti 4IP (2K, 5BB). SV: Zach Spangler 1.2IP (1K, 1BB)

Chillicothe (4-5): Jordan Godman 1B, Deion Tansel 1B, Derek Hug 1B HR RBI, Hunter Prince 2-1B, Chad Roberts 1B, Ryan Callihan 2-1B, Chad Roskelly 1B

Butler (5-4): Matt Hansen 1B, Michael Patrick 1B 2B 2-RBI, David Marcus 2B, Tyler Sullivan 1B, Jamie Switalski 1B, Russell Clark 1B, Mark DeVita RBI

Saturday: Butler at Champion City