Butler heading to first PIAA baseball championship game thanks to Boden Lenyk, Kyle Casteel’s heroics
BOGGS TWP, Centre County — Boden Lenyk was taken aback when his drive cleared the outfield fence at EQT Park during Butler’s WPIAL Class 6A title game win last month.
Not on Monday.
Lenyk clubbed a two-out, two-run blast to left field in the top of the second inning of the Golden Tornado’s 4-2 win over Owen J. Roberts in Monday’s PIAA Class 6A semifinal, helping launch the Golden Tornado to Thursday’s state final at Penn State University.
“I knew it was out today,” Lenyk said. “I went up there, and I was hunting the fastball, because he gave me only fastballs that first at-bat. I got one and I felt it, and I knew it was gone.”
Lenyk (3-for-3) added two singles and scored a run in the first frame at Bald Eagle Area High School’s Doc Etters Field, as well.
“This is why baseball is the toughest and hardest sport to play,” Butler coach Josh Forbes said. “Boden doesn’t get out to a hot start statistically. It doesn’t matter. He’s still hitting baseballs hard, he’s still doing everything that he needs to do. And, sure enough, they start falling in the postseason.”
“I just trusted that the balls were gonna fall and all that,” Lenyk said. “Now that I keep trusting through it, it’s falling. I’ve been really happy to get all those hits for the guys behind me.”
Forbes also praised Lenyk’s “lock-down” shortstop play throughout the playoffs.
Trent Best’s one-out liner in the top of the first inning scored Lenyk, who led off with a base hit off Wildcats (22-6) pitcher Lucas Campbell’s glove.
The Golden Tornado (23-3) will square off with District 1 fourth-place finisher Neshaminy — a 2-1 winner over Pennsbury — for the Pennsylvania crown. It is the first time a Butler team has made the championship; the farthest the program had made it in states before this year was the 1992 team that made the semifinals.
“It feels awesome,” Lenyk said. “The last four years, we’ve been working really hard to get to this point, and now that we’re here, it’s the best feeling to be here with these guys.”
D1 runner-up Owen J. Roberts threatened in each of the initial five innings, but it was only able to get to Butler pitcher and West Virginia commit Kyle Casteel once.
With one gone in the bottom of the fourth, the Wildcats’ Evan Sabatino walked, then Campbell doubled. Sabatino scored when second baseman Jake Szebalskie couldn’t corral Anthony Murray’s hard-hit grounder.
Matt Smola’s ensuing single brought Campbell around. However, Best’s throw from right field got to catcher Mavrik Clement in time to cut down Murray — who was trying to level the scoreboard — and end the half-inning.
“I just had to battle. Stuff didn’t go my way,” Casteel said. “It’s just baseball, and this is a really fun game. I’m really fortunate to be able to play this at the highest level and compete against the team that we did today.
“Just, start to end, I’m never out of the game.”
Casteel went the distance, reaching the maximum pitch count while striking out 10 in what will be his final high school game on the mound.
The Golden Tornado added an insurance run on Best’s one-out sac fly in the top seventh.
Butler 120 000 1 — 4 7 1
Owen J. Roberts 000 200 0 — 2 5 0
WP: Kyle Casteel (10K, 2BB). LP: Lucas Campbell (5K, 1BB).
Butler: Boden Lenyk HR 2-1B 2RBI 2R, Trent Best 1B 2RBI, Nolan Stefaniak 1B, Blake Scott 1B, Karsten Lenyk 1B R, Preston Richter R.
Owen J. Roberts: Matt Smola 1B RBI, Tyler Nau 1B, Adam Stahl 2B, Owen Waltimyer 1B, Evan Sabatino R, Lucas Campbell 1B R.
Thursday: Butler vs. Neshaminy, 4:30 p.m. at Penn State’s Medlar Field, PIAA Class 6A championship
