Butler shortstop Grant Metzger tries getting control of the baseball while attempting to tag Central Catholic's Brandon Gelpi in a close play at second base Monday night at Kelly Automotove Park. Gelpi was safe on the play and Central went on to defeat Butler, 3-1.

For the first time this season, the Butler baseball team lost the “Freebie War.”

It's a term first-year Golden Tornado coach Cody Herald uses to describe walks, errors and hit batters.

Central Catholic had the advantage in all three.

And it cost Butler.

Dearly.

A pair of Vikings' pitchers held Butler to just two hits and leadoff hitter Vinny Rauso did the rest, driving in all three runs as Central Catholic bested the Tornado on another blustery, cold and snowy Monday night at Kelly Automotive Park, 3-1.

The Tornado have excelled this season in drawing walks, getting hit by pitches, timely hitting and being solid in the field.

Most of those things deserted Butler Monday night.

And also for the first time, the weather seemed to affect the Tornado, who have now played three home games in snow and temperatures hovering near freezing.

Butler now must play rival Seneca Valley on the road Wednesday afternoon coming off a tough loss.

It's an opportunity, though, for Herald to see if his team can regroup after its first taste of adversity.