CENTER TWP - Hitting 50 home runs in a season is a successful campaign by any power hitter's standards.

Forget that. Bobby Swartwout hit 50 home runs in a day.

The 12-year-old Butler Township and Beaver Valley AAU player accomplished the feat during the first Butler County (11-12-year-old) Home Run Derby Tuesday evening at the Center Township major league field.

Swartwout was one of 15 Little League-age players from Butler County in the competition. The 15 kids combined to hit 155 home runs during the contest.

They entered the competition having hit 196 home runs as a group during regular season and tournament play this past season.

"The bar seems to keep raising every year in terms of home runs hit around here by these kids," said Jay Fennell of Nothing But Baseball, which sponsored Tuesday's event.

"Two years ago, 22 different kids in Butler Township Little League combined to hit 124 home runs during the season."

That was nothing compared to Tuesday. Each participant selected a coach, parent or some other adult to pitch to him. Any swing that did not result in a home run was an out and each player received 10 outs per round.

The top seven home run totals moved on to the second round. The top three from there reached the finals.

The final three competitors Tuesday were Swartwout, Butler Township teammate Cody Wheeler and East Butler's Cody Herald.

"I knew I was gonna get knocked out in that (final) round," said Herald, who was physically smaller than the other two finalists. "I just went up there and had some fun."

Herald hit six homers during the finals, giving him 18 for the day.

Then Swartwout and Wheeler put on a show.

Swartwout, a left-handed hitter, hit 17 homers in the second round, knocking seven consecutive pitches over the fence at one point. Wheeler drilled 18 homers in the second round, including five consecutive pitches.

Derek Grence of Zelie/Harmony homered on six consecutive pitches during the first round. Grence was one of three 11-year-olds competing, joining Matt Smith of Beaver Valley AAU and Dalton Koebler of Butler Township.

The field's dimensions were 181 feet down the left and right field lines, 210 feet to center. They didn't come close to holding these guys.

Swartwout hit a few balls into the minor league field over the hill in right field. Wheeler sent a few over the trees behind the left field fence.

"Some of those were 300-foot shots, easy," Fennell said.

Swartwout hit 20 homers during the final round - giving him 50 for the day - but still wasn't convinced he won the contest.

"No lead is safe against Cody Wheeler," Swartwout said. "He's capable of hitting 25 to 35 in a round … whatever he needs."

Earlier this summer, Wheeler won the 2005 King of Swat championship in Cooperstown, N.Y., topping a field of 80 competitors.

He needed 25 homers in the final round to tie Swartwout. He settled for 15 and totaled 40 for the day.

"There was a little extra pressure there, knowing I needed that many," Wheeler said.

Wheeler hit .604 for Butler Township this season and .437 with the Beaver Valley AAU team. He hit 31 home runs on the year.

Swartwout hit .815 for Butler Township, hitting 12 homers and 14 doubles in 18 league games.

It was Swartwout who came up with the idea of a Butler County Home Run Derby.

"There's a lot of great hitters around and I wanted to see how I stacked up against them," he said. "It helps to compete against kids like this. They make you better."

On this day, Swartwout was the best.

"He thought of the idea of a home run derby and I called around to 12 different leagues in the county," Fennell said. "We got the best kids here.

"We'll make it an annual event, that's for sure."