BUTLER TWP — The Butler baseball team got more Hs, but Shaler got the W.

The Golden Tornado made good contact, collecting many of what Butler coach Dave Florie calls "hard hits," or Hs, but not enough of them resulted in base hits in a 3-2 loss to section foe Shaler at Highfield Park Monday.

"Just like I told the guys, luck does play a part in all sports," Florie said. "You can't aim a baseball. You can only hit it hard and get what we call Hs. If you get enough of them, (you) hopefully some find holes. We didn't find enough holes today."

Butler did manage to collect six hits, but all were singles and not enough of them were bunched together.

With the score tied at 1, the Golden Tornado (8-4, 5-2) put the leadoff man on base in the fifth and sixth innings, but failed to score.

Down 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Butler got its first two hitters on base, but managed just one run.

The game ended when Ryan Geibel hit a hard liner to Shaler right fielder Troy Handza, stranding the potential tying run on third.

The Houdini act was pulled off by Shaler pitcher Erik Fincher, who managed to get into jams, then wiggle out of them.

Butler had a runner thrown out at the plate in the sixth inning. In the game, the Golden Tornado stranded 10 runners.

"I think defensively we made some key plays today," said Shaler coach Bob Hinds. It was a stark contrast to the last time the two teams played when five Titans errors led to a 5-4 Butler win.

"And our pitcher had a lot of courage today," he added

Fichter's courage ruined a valiant pitching performance by Butler's Matt McCormick.

The left-hander baffled Shaler hitters with a sweeping curveball and by working his fastball on both corners of the plate.

Through six innings, he had given up one hit and one unearned run.

The right-handed hitters in the Shaler lineup were having more difficulty with McCormick than the lefty swingers.

"He was mixing very well and throwing strikes," Hinds said. "When you get a lefty throwing a good curveball, sometimes it's hard to deal with. We hung in there. That was the main thing."

Butler didn't fair much better against Fichter, getting one unearned run of its own.

In the top of the seventh inning, the Titans caught up to McCormick.

The Butler pitcher walked a batter, then gave up back-to-back singles to Ryan Fazio and Taylor Juran to give the Titans a 2-1 lead.

Shaler also added an unearned insurance run.

Despite the loss, Florie was ecstatic about the way his pitcher performed.

"He was fantastic," Florie said. "He's a competitor. He's a gutty kid."

With four team fighting for three WPIAL playoff spots out of Class AAAA Section 1, the loss dropped Butler into a tie withShaler for second place. Seneca Valley beat North Allegheny to drop the Tigers to 4-3 in section play.

Shaler 010 000 2—3 3 2Butler 001 000 1—2 6 2W: Erik Fichter 7 IP (2 K, 3 BB).

L: Matt McCormick 7 IP (9 K, 1 BB).

Shaler (8-5, 5-2): Andy Gapsky 1B; Ryan Fazio 1B; Taylor Juran 1B, 2-RBI

Butler (8-4, 5-2): Darren Blakley 1B; Tim Geibel 1B, RBI; Nick Rossmiller 1B; John Crummy RBI; RyanGeibel 1B; Jeff Slater 1B; David Schmidt 1B

Wednesday: Pine-Richland vs. Butler at Highfield Park, 4 p.m.