BUTLER TWP — Tim Geibel had a scowl on his face as he circled the mound to collect his thoughts.

Geibel, a Butler graduate and pitcher for the Mars II Eagle County League baseball team, doesn’t look like he’s enjoying himself on the hill.

But that’s just his steely resolve bleeding through.

“It’s just how you have to get into the zone,” Geibel said, smiling. “It’s just how I am. Even in college I was like that. I just block people out and focus on what I’m doing. I wasn’t really speaking to people.”

Geibel did his speaking with his fastball, slider and changeup Tuesday evening at Highfield Park, quieting the Mars bats to the tune of 11 strikeouts in a 1-0, two-hit shutout win for Mars II in Game 3 of the best-of-five championship series.

The win gives Mars II a 2-games-to-1 series lead. Mars II can win the title and end Mars’ string of six straight championships with a victory today in Game 4 at Marburger Field.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

“This was Game 3 of a 1-1 series,” Geibel said. “I had to focus as much as I could.”

That was difficult because of the uncertainty as to whether the game would even be played.

Heavy rain blanketed the area a half-hour before first pitch and lingered into the first two innings of the game, which started just 15 minutes late.

Geibel scarcely had the chance to warm up before taking the mound.

“Those first few pitches were right where I wanted them,” Geibel said. “Then I was like, ‘OK, let’s get this game in.’”

Geibel struck out five of the first six batters he faced and only allowed five baserunners. Only two of those runners advanced to second.

It was Geibel’s first start of the season. Used in relief, his longest outing this season before Tuesday had been 2 2/3 innings.

Why?

“I’m getting old,” he quipped.

He didn’t pitch like it.

Neither did Mars starter Jim Devine, who gave up just the one run on five hits in six innings.

Mars II scored the only run it would need in the bottom of the first inning. Dustin Lalle and John Crummy led off the game with a pair of singles, and then moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch. Kevin Vangheluwe drove in Lalle with a RBI groundout.

Devine was able to escape without further damage.

“He did great, but he’s probably (mad) at us because we didn’t score any runs for him,” said Mars player/manager Brendan Malone. “I’d be (mad).”

Mars was coming off its own 1-0 win in Game 2.

In the three games of the series so far, there has been just eight runs scored on 23 hits between the two teams.

“We were kind of frustrated after (Monday) night,” said Mars II player/manager Eric King. “So, to come back and win this game was big. The performance from Tim was unreal.”

Mars, though, has had its back against the wall during its historic Eagle County run over the past six years.

“Our bats couldn’t have gone cold at a worse time,” Malone said. “But we’re all veterans. We’ve been here before. We expect to win the next two games. It’s not easy to sleep tonight, but you go home, take a nice cold bath and be ready to play tomorrow.”

Mars 000 000 0 — 0 2 0

Mars II 100 000 x — 1 5 1

W: Tim Geibel 7IP (11K, 2BB). L: Tim Devine 6IP (3K, 0BB).

Mars: Dan Penberthy 1B, Scott Ventura 1B

Mars II: Dustin Lalle 1B, John Crummy 1B, Geibel 1B, Kevin Vangheluwe RBI, Corey Wheeler 1B, Darren Blakely 1B

Today: Mars II at Mars, Game 4 at Marburger Field, 6 p.m.