Butler manager Anthony Rebyanski believes the BlueSox will need a complete, well-rounded effort to win consistently this year.

A complete-game gem from his pitcher doesn’t hurt, either.

Jared Locke struck out 11 and scattered six hits in nine innings of work to lead the Butler BlueSox to a 4-2 victory Wednesday night over the Chillicothe Paints at Pullman Park.

Locke, a University of Toledo product, racked up eight of his strikeouts in the first four innings, while the offense spotted him an early lead.

Eric Hess came around to score an unearned run in the bottom of the second inning, before Jason Radwan gave the BlueSox (2-0) a 3-0 cushion with a two-run, opposite-field homer over the right-field fence.

“We’re playing some good baseball right now,” said Rebyanski. “It’s one through nine. It takes all nine guys to play nine innings.

“These guys are high-spirit guys,” he added. “Everybody has been into it and that’s all I can ask for.”

Chris Raskey boosted Butler’s advantage to 4-0 in the sixth with an RBI triple to the left-center gap. He scored Brozick, who drew a two-out walk off reliever Zach Wolfe.

J.T. Miller started on the hill for Chillicothe (0-2) and surrendered three runs — two earned — and four hits in four innings. He fanned five, walked three and threw 87 pitches. Wolfe hurled the final four innings and gave up one run, four hits and struck out one.

The Paints broke up the shutout when Billy Harkenrider led off the eighth with a triple and scored on an error. Thomas Linder drove in Kevin Zak with an RBI single in the ninth, but Locke slammed the door with a strikeout of Harkenrider to end the game.

Locke threw 124 pitches for the complete-game victory, giving up just one earned run and two walks. Of the six hits allowed, two stayed in the infield.

“Jared pitched well,” said Rebyanski. “I was hoping to get six or seven (innings) out of him and his pitch count was low, so he felt good and we kept him in there.”

“My two-seam fastball had a lot of movement tonight and my catcher called a great game,” said Locke. “Everything was working.”

Rebyanski considered bringing in a reliever in the eighth inning, but Locke proved he could finish off the Paints. Chillicothe stranded a runner at third after shortstop Elliot Caldwell scooped up a Vinnie Booker grounder, stepped on second and fired to first for an inning-ending double play.

“My competitiveness wants me to stay out there as long as I can,” said Locke. “Coach let me and I did the job.”

“We ended up giving up a run in the ninth, but he battled back,” said Rebyanski. “It takes a bulldog on the mound to win and he was just that tonight.”

The outing left Chillicothe manager Greg Cypret impressed.

“He had a real good arm,” Cypret explained. “He had good velocity and our guys were trying to catch up with that and so everything else was an extra-tough pitch.

“He did a great job of coming right after us and throwing a lot of strikes and he had a really good fastball.”

Butler committed four errors on the night, including one by Locke, but the miscues didn’t rattle the BlueSox right-hander.

“I had the defense behind me. We had a few errors, but we worked through it,” Locke said. “It was a good performance all around.”

Neal Jacobs, who hit the game-winning homer on Tuesday, was the only player for either team to collect multiple hits. Matt Albaugh brought the crowd to its feet with a near inside-the-park home run in the fifth, but was tagged out at the plate on a perfect relay from the center-field wall.

Rebyankski likes his team’s demeanor and unity, despite being together for just a handful of days.

“It takes a group effort to win ball games and it’s hard to get guys that don’t know each other to gel quickly,” the manager explained. “If they keep coming to the park everyday excited as they have been the last three days, I think we’re going to be OK.”

Chillicothe 000 000 011—2 6 2

Butler BlueSox 012 001 00x—4 8 4

W: Jared Locke 9 IP (11 K, 2 BB). L: J.T. Miller 4 IP (5 K, 3 BB)

Chillicothe (0-2): Mike Nadratowski 1B; Vinnie Booker 1B; Kevin Zak 1B, R; Giancarlo Brunomi 1B; Thomas Linder 1B, RBI; Billy Harkenrider 3B, R.

Butler BlueSox (2-0): Elliot Campbell 1B; Kyle Petty 1B, R; Jason Radwan HR, R, 2-RBI; Matt Albaugh 3B; Eric Hess 1B, R; Neal Jacobs 2-1B; Justin Brozick R; Chris Raskey 3B, RBI.

Thursday: West Virginia at Butler BlueSox, 6:35 p.m., Pullman Park