It's been a strange first half of the season for the Butler BlueSox.

A rash of injuries sabotaged the pitching staff. Eleven of the club's 27 games were decided by one run, including a 6-5 setback against Lorain at Pullman Park Sunday afternoon to conclude the first half of the season.

"Pitching staff wise, we're still a little thin," said Butler manager Jason Wuerfel. "But the replacement guys we've had come in (have done well)."

Such is life in the Prospect League, where fortunes can change overnight.

Or over the course of an inning.

That happened to the BlueSox, who appeared to be closing the first half of the season with a four-game losing streak when Cameron Squires came up with another clutch hit — a two-out RBI single to give Butler a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Cole Taylor was one out away from a win on the mound for the BlueSox, but gave up a back-to-back RBI singles to Austin Ingraham and Nick Hamilton.

Austin Wulf led off the bottom of the ninth with a double, but the game ended when Tyler Sciacca hit a screamer to Hamilton, Lorain's shortstop, who flipped the ball to second baseman Matt McAllester to double off Wulf.

"Like I told the guys, today was just baseball," Wuerfel said. "They get a bases-loaded blooper, and we get a double-play lineout to end the game. That's the way it goes, and you have to be able to deal with those swings as a baseball player. I told them to go into the break and not focus on the heartbreak of today. It was a punch in the stomach."

Butler (13-14) could have entered the All-Star Break with a winning record had it held on to topple Lorain. The BlueSox haven't been above sea level record-wise since June 15.

Still, the BlueSox have found a lot of positives to take into the second half.

Leadoff hitter Zach Duggan has provided a spark.

Duggan, a Seneca Valley graduate, has 11 stolen bases and is riding a six-game hitting streak.

Wulf, who has spent most of the season in the leadoff spot, has dropped to No. 2 in the order and is batting .273.

"(Duggan) really has done a good job in the leadoff spot," good job in the leadoff spot," Wuerfel said. "It's nice to have two guys like Austin and Zach who get up there, see a lot of pitches and you know they are going to put the ball in play somewhere."

And then there is Squires, the No. 9 hitter with speed to burn — and a free-swinging spirit.

Squires has been Mr. Clutch for the BlueSox lately. His bases-loaded double Saturday propelled Butler to a 7-4 win over Chillicothe.

He's knocked in five runs in the last three games.

Squires, though, has walked just once in 67 at-bats.

"That's Cam's only issue," Wuerfel said. "That's why he hits ninth because he's never going to walk. But when he comes up, you know he's going to put the ball in play with runners in scoring position. That's why he's had some key RBIs for us."

Making out the lineup card has been easy for Wuerfel lately because roles have become well defined.

"The lineup writes itself right now, the way the guys have been performing," Wuerfel said. "Coming back, I feel really good about the lineup. We've been getting 10 hits pretty much every night for the past week."

Notes: The BlueSox will have three players in the Prospect League All-Star Game Tuesday in Quincy, Ill. Sciacca, first baseman/catcher John Sulzicki and pitcher Tim Giel, a Gibsonia native, will make the trip. Kevan Smith was chosen to play in the game, but has a minor injury.

Lorain 000 110 002 — 6 13 2Butler 100 003 010 — 5 10 0W: Phil Brua 2 IP (1 K, 1 BB).

L: Cole Taylor 1X\c IP (1 K, 1 BB).

Lorain (14-15): Tony Brunetti 2B 2-1B RBI, Austin Ingraham 2-1B 2-RBI, Nate Antone 2-1B 2-RBI

Butler (13-14): Zach Duggan 1B SB 2-R, Austin Wulf 2B 2-1B RBI, Max Vogel 2B, John Sulzicki 1B 2-RBI