James Meeker was shocked when he hit his first home run.

He was even more surprised when he blasted his second.

“I almost didn't run the bases,” Meeker said, smiling.

The Butler designated hitter came into the game with Chillicothe Wednesday night with no home runs this season and only three extra base hits in 89 at-bats. He did carry a .303 average, however.

Meeker, though, found his power stroke as Butler mashed the Paints 11-5 at Kelly Automotive Park.

Patrick Ferguson also homered, his 12th of the year to break the BlueSox single-season record of 11 previously held by David Marcus.

Call them the Butler Bombers.

“I actually told Stefan (Mrkonja) when he was on third base, 'You know, our lineup is actually pretty dangerous,'” said Butler manager Cody Herald. “No matter who's in, we can put up 10 runs just like that. As far as the home runs go, I don't think kids are trying to hit them. I think they're just getting good swings. Whenever that happens, the ball tends to carry.”

Hitting home runs at the cavernous KAP isn't the easiest thing in the world. But Butler has hit 31 home runs in 38 games this season. The BlueSox are also averaging 6.1 runs per game in 2017.

Meeker may have been the most unlikely to have a multi-homer game.

“I think it was my first home run in four years, so it felt amazing,” Meeker said. “It was the best feeling. I haven't had the feeling in awhile. I was shocked I did it again.”

Meeker's first home run was a two-run shot in the bottom of the first inning.

Chillicothe, though, answered with a three-run home run of its own off the bat of Chad Roberts in the top of the third inning off Knoch graduate and Butler starting pitcher Alex Stobert to take a 3-2 lead.

Meeker struck again with his second two-run bomb as part of a five-run sixth inning for the BlueSox that have them an 8-4 lead.

Butler (21-17) tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the seventh, one of those runs the record-breaking blast by Ferguson, to take firm control of the game.

Stobert got the win. He pitched well at times, going six-plus innings. He gave up five runs, struck out five and walked four.

“He's a competitor. He doesn't like getting beat and he showed it,” Herald said of Stobert. “He's one of those kids, he wants to be the best at what he's doing and he's going to give everything he has. He has the potential. He has a big body on him and he throws a big ball. He just needs to keep things a little more clear up in the head.”

Stobert was making his first start on what was basically his home high school field in front of a slew of family and friends.

Understandably, Stobert was a bit pumped up at the start of the game, but settled.

Herald, who also played a majority of his home games for Butler High School at The KAP and also played for the BlueSox, could relate.

“I know exactly what he went through because I went through it,” Herald said. “Your first game, it takes over. It's, 'Oh my god, what am I going to do?' Sometimes it gets the best of you. Sometimes it doesn't. His first game here, he wanted to show everyone and he tried to do too much. But he realized that and adjusted.”

Chillicothe 003 001 100 — 5 8 0

Butler 200 015 30x — 11 14 1

W: Alex Stobert 6+IP (5K, 4BB). L: Tyler Keith 0.2IP (0K, 0BB).

Chillicothe (19-20): Neil Lambert 2-1B, Dallas Hall 2B 1B, Chad Roberts HR 1B 4-RBI, Tyler Cowles 2B, Tanner Piechnick RBI, Peyton Newsom 1B

Butler (21-17): Ben Carew 2B 2-RBI, Brady Gulakowski 1B 2B 2-RBI, Calvin Scott 1B RBI, James Meeker 2-HR 1B 5-RBI, Rey Gonzalez 2B, Patrick Ferguson HR RBI, Stefan Mrkonja 1B, Pavin Parks 1B, Damian Maglione 2-1B

Today: Chillicothe at Butler, 6:35 p.m.