Freeport's Brayden King swings at a pitch during the losers' bracket final of the Butler County Area Baseball League playoffs against Kiski at Swartz Field Saturday evening. Despite playing on a field equipped with lights, they weren't turned on and the game was suspended with the score tied at 8-8 due to darkness. It will be resumed at 6 p.m. Monday at the Freeport Community Park.

FREEPORT — Late-inning offense from both Kiski and Freeport has caused a stalemate in the Butler County Area Baseball League playoffs.

Kiski, which had trailed Saturday's loser's bracket final since Freeport plated four runs in the bottom of the first inning, scored five combined runs in the sixth and seventh frames to grab an 8-4 lead at Swartz Field.

Then it was Freeport's turn to rally. The team's offense had been held scoreless on just two hits from the second inning through the sixth. But five hits spurred a four-run seventh to tie the game at 8-all.

Neither team scored in the eighth, after which darkness halted play. Swartz Field is equipped with lights, but nobody present had the authority or means to turn them on.

“I didn't sweat my butt off for eight innings for 8-8,” said Freeport's Shane Volek. “Nothing's (been decided). I wish they could just turn the lights on. I know that would cost money, but ... the energy level is going to be different when we pick this up.”

It wasn't until Sunday afternoon when it was decided that the game would resume at 6 p.m. Monday at Freeport Community Park.

Butler Township awaits the winner in the championship round Tuesday.

With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Freeport had one on base with two outs. Jarrett Heilman and Austin Kepes both singled to score one run before Brayden King clubbed a two-run double that nearly cleared the fence in left-center.

Volek then tied the game with a base hit that scored King. The former was caught in a rundown between first and second base to end the inning, but Freeport had saved its season.

Freeport is no stranger to such drama, according to coach Joe Hotalski.

“These guys have been playing together for years,” he said. “They fight back and are used to rallying.”

However, missed opportunities, both at the plate and in the field, were fresh in Hotalski's mind.

Freeport left the bases loaded in the first, third and fourth innings against Kiski starting pitcher Ryne Wallace. The team had two on and none out in the bottom of the sixth, but King was caught in a rundown between first and second.

During the same sequence, Brayden Clark attempted to score, but also was tagged out in a rundown between third and home.

Defensively, four errors led to three unearned Kiski runs.

“Swinging at bad pitches, bad base-running, errors ... this is what we do,” said Hotalski. “We talk about these things, but go out and still make bad decisions, bad plays.”

Both teams were on their third pitcher of the game when play stopped.

For Freeport, Joe Hotalski followed Jarrett Heilman and Clark and pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Wallace had an up-and-down start for Kiski. In his four innings, he struck out 10, but also walked eight. He did manage to hold Freeport scoreless in his last three innings. Logan McGarry entered the game and looked strong with two scoreless innings before being on the wrong end of Freeport's four runs in the seventh.

Mike Shoemaker pitched a scoreless bottom of the eighth.

Kiski 021 002 30 — 8 13 1

Freeport 400 000 40 — 8 10 4

Kiski: Billy Perroz 3B RBI, Derek Hald 2-1B 2B, Matt Skelly 1B 2B 3R RBI, Logan McGarry 3-1B 2RBI, Garret Polka 1B R RBI

Freeport: Matt Mitchell 1B 2R, Mario Leonard 1B R RBI, Austin Kepes 1B R 2RBI, Brayden King 2B R 3RBI, Shane Volek 2-1B 2RBI, Brayden Clark 1B 2B