EAST BUTLER — Brandon Hilderbrand’s slump at the plate ended in style.

East Butler’s right fielder crushed a two-run home run during his team’s four-run first inning, sparking a 9-1 victory over Meridian in Tuesday’s legion baseball winner’s bracket final at Speed-O Field.

“I hadn’t reached base in the last four games,” said Hilderbrand, who got hold of a Jesse Savisky fastball and deposited it over the left field wall. “It (the pitch) was a bit up and in. The second it left his hand, I knew where I wanted to take it.”

The home run came with two outs and also scored Garrett Goslaw, but East Butler had already gotten to Savisky by the time Hilderbrand came to the plate.

Goslaw singled home Ian Steighner and Alex Seybert scored on Chad White’s groundout for a 2-0 lead.

“Anytime you can score in the first inning, it gets the team up (emotionally),” said East Butler coach Steve Armahizer. “It was huge for us.”

The early offense was more than enough for East Butler starting pitcher Jeremy Moorhead, a southpaw who fanned 10 and did not walk a batter in a complete game.

“He kept the ball down and I couldn’t ask for a better seven innings pitched,” Armahizer said.

Savisky was making his first start in six weeks. He broke his left (non-throwing) arm and was recently cleared to pitch, but not bat. In his first three starts earlier this season, he had allowed just a single earned run in 18 innings.

He gave up two more runs to East Butler in the second inning Tuesday and lasted two batters into the fifth frame. He was charged with eight runs on seven hits, striking out two and walking two.

“I thought he made some good pitches early on,” said Meridian coach Butch Master, “but the strike zone seemed to be tight and he wasn’t getting a lot of the calls. Now you have to throw the ball down the middle of the plate and East Butler is a good hitting team. Up and down the order, they can swing the bat.”

Meridian (13-8) thought it had cut its deficit in half in the top of the fourth inning, but Zach Kozlowski’s fly ball that cleared the left field wall with a man on base was ruled foul.

Hilderbrand robbed Meridian of two more runs in the next inning. With two men on base and two outs, Jacob Stutz hit a ball to the right-center field gap, but Hilderbrand made an incredible diving catch to end the inning.

“I knew when it came off the bat that it was headed toward the gap,” Hilderbrand said. “I just tried to take the route that would give me the best chance to make a play on it.”

East Butler added two runs in the fifth and one more in the sixth. Meridian’s lone tally came in the top of the sixth. Nick Malis’ double was followed by Justin Rickert’s single. The former then scored on a successful double-steal attempt.

Seybert paced East Butler with three singles.

Meridian plays on Tuesday against the team that emerges from the loser’s bracket. That field involves Center Township, Karns City, Valley and Saxonburg.

East Butler (14-3-1) now sits in the king’s seat and is idle until July 23.

“I’m not concerned about the layoff,” said Armahizer. “We’ve been sitting around a lot already because of all the rain.”

Meridian 000 001 0 — 1 6 2

East Butler 420 021 x — 9 9 0

W: Jeremy Moorhead 7 IP (10K, 0BB). L: Jesse Savisky 4+ IP (2K, 2BB).

Meridian (13-8): Nick Malis 2B R, Justin Rickert 2-1B, Cody Laue 1B, Zach Henderson 1B, Ryan Bargo 1B

East Butler (14-3-1): Ian Steighner 1B 2R, Darren Osche RBI, Alex Seybert 3-1B 3R RBI, Garrett Goslaw 1B 2B 2R RBI, Chad White RBI, Brandon Hilderbrand HR 2RBI, Jeremy Moorhead 1B RBI, Hunter Scott 1B R, Tyler Markilinski RBI