The Butler Golden Tornado will head out to face off against the Central Catholic Vikings at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Butler's pitching crew has only allowed 3.4 runs per game this season, so Central Catholic's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Thursday just wasn't the day for Butler's offense. They fell just short of Pine-Richland by a score of 2-0 on Thursday. The match marked the first time this year in which the Golden Tornado were not able to get on the board.
Butler got a good showing from Kyle Casteel, who pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Casteel has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
Meanwhile, Central Catholic was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 5-4 heartbreaker at the hands of North Allegheny.
Ryan Tatar was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out seven batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in March.
At the plate, Central Catholic saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Landon Greene, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. Yaniel Heredia also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Butler has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost four of their last five contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-4 record this season. Those losses can't be blamed on the team's pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.2 runs on average over those games. As for Central Catholic, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-7.
Butler's speedy runners might be the difference in Tuesday's game. The Golden Tornado have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.1 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Central Catholic, though, as they've been averaging only 0.8 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Butler continue to outrun the ball? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
