East Butler’s Collins goes from bad to great to lead victory
EAST BUTLER — It was not Alex Collins’ night on the mound.
At the plate was a different story.
East Butler’s starting pitcher allowed five runs in the first inning to put his team in an early hole against Pine Richland, but spearheaded the team’s rally.
Remaining in the game at second base, he collected four hits, including three doubles, and drove in five runs to lift East Butler to its first win of the season, 19-17, in Butler County Area Baseball League action at Speed-O Field Tuesday night.
“I knew by the fourth batter of the game that I just didn’t have it,” Collins said of his one inning on the mound. “I tried to get my fastball going, but it wasn’t working and neither was my curveball.
“I just wanted to do better with the bat after the bad inning I had pitching. I feel a lot better after helping the team come back.”
His final hit of the game, a double that scored Justice Schmeider in the bottom of the sixth inning, put East Butler up by two runs.
Then, after both teams had plated a flurry of runs in every inning, Cam Cygan pitched a scoreless top of the seventh to end the game.
“These guys are resilient,” said East Butler coach Earl Collins. “They never gave up and we got the hits when we needed them.”
An eighth consecutive loss for East Butler (1-7) seemed almost certain.
Clay Collins took over on the mound at the start of the second inning, but recorded just one out and was relieved by Peyton Folk. By the time East Butler picked up its bats in the bottom of the inning, it was looking at an 11-3 deficit.
But the team’s offense made noise in every inning, with its biggest rush coming in a six-run fifth inning that tied the game at 16.
Colton Collins singled in one run to begin the spree, followed by Schmeider’s two-run double and Alex Collins’ RBI-double.
Cygan singled in the tying run, but Pine Richland had one more big hit of its own.
Leading off the top of the sixth, Austin Woodward drove Cygan’s pitch over the wall in left field to put the visitors up again, 17-16.
That set the stage for East Butler’s half of the sixth. Schmeider drove in the tying run before an error allowed Folk to score the go-ahead tally.
Schmeider and Cygan joined Alex Collins in tallying four hits in the game.
“Before tonight, it was our pitching that had been strong,” said Earl Collins. “Alex had been excellent on the mound, but the bats really came through for us.”
Pine Richland (3-5) is the two-time defending league champion.
Pine Richland 561 221 0 — 17 12 4
East Butler 331 363 x — 19 20 4
W: Cam Cygan 2.1 IP (4K, 0BB). L: Braiden Smalley 2.1 IP (3K, 2BB).
Pine Richland: Brett Jones 1B 2B 2R RBI, Joe Connell 2B 2R, Austin Woodward HR 4R, Braiden Smalley 1B 2B 2R 2RBI, Noah Bender 2-1B 2R RBI, Matt Farmer 3B 2R 3RBI, Branden Ansell 2-1B 3RBI
East Butler: Peyton Folk 2-1B 2R RBI, Colton Collins 1B R 2RBI, Justice Schmeider 2-1B 2-2B 4R 3RBI, Clay Collins 1B 3R, Alex Collins 1B 3-2B R 5RBI, Cam Cygan 2-1B 2-2B R 3RBI, Jared Nini 2-1B 2R
Wednesday: Pine Richland at Freeport
Thursday: East Butler at Cranberry Township
