FAIRBORN — The Skyhawks knew they were in trouble when Butler’s Trey Clements and Chase Goulette opened the first inning of Monday’s game with two scorching homers. This was only the first volley in a relentless onslaught that would climax with a 15-1 run-rule victory for the Aviators. The loss dropped Fairborn to an overall record of 11-11 while elevating Butler to an overall record of 16-7.
Given the youth of this incarnation of the Skyhawks, Fairborn head coach Rob Smith has had to enact a somewhat selective criterion for determining which games necessitate the use of the team’s big guns.
Smith elaborated:
“We didn’t play like we have been here lately,” Smith said. “What’s coming down for our team now is league games again. We decided that, going into this weekend, we were going to try to shoot for third place. We’re a very young team, so we’ve got to pick our battles. We chose what we wanted to do with our pitching and backed it off tonight to save it for the two teams we need to beat to get to third place.”
Butler coach Trent Dues praised the Aviators for their prolific hitting.
“We came out hitting,” Dues said. “We were roping the ball and that was nice to see. We used the whole field. We really hit well.”
Indeed, Butler came out hitting and didn’t stop hitting until the fifth inning. After establishing an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first, the Aviators roared ahead at the top of the second with RBIs by Vinnie Jackson and Clements.
Fairborn started to fight back at the bottom of the second when Skyhawk Jason Moorman grabbed home on a sacrifice fly by Alex Johnson. Yet, Fairborn’s brief glimmer of hope was swiftly dashed by devastating blitz launched by Butler at the top of third.
Butler’s Matt Radominski opened the third with a two-run homer, carrying the Aviators ahead 6-1. This wallop was just the tip of the iceberg. Subsequently, Butler’s Dillon Bell tripled and Jackson knocked an RBI single. Butler’s Dan Link rode this momentum, doubling with two RBIs. Then, Butler’s Nathan Martin, Chris Mayhill, and Ryan Keeler all doubled with one RBI each. Radominski capped off this blitz with an RBI single, leaving Fairborn buried beneath a 14-1 deficit.
Throughout of this relentless deluge, the Skyhawks switched pitchers three times. Fairborn’s Austin Harrison turned the mound over to Nick Stephens, who would subsequently hand pitching duties over to Zac Poulter. The succession of pitcher changes ended with Moorman taking the mound. He remained in the position for the remainder of the game. According to Smith, the Butler game was an opportunity for him to put some young blood on the mound.
“Most of the time, we haven’t had relief pitching,” Smith said. “Tonight, I pitched kids who haven’t pitched all year. We just had to pick which game we wanted to do that and, since Miamisburg and Xenia are in our division, those are the two games where we’re going to go for the gusto with our pitcher. Basically, tonight, we decied to give some young kids a shot.”
Smith stated that he saw some promise from his younger pitchers.
“I saw some positive things,” Smith said. “The last pitcher (Moorman) is a sophomore. It was his first time on the mound and he was effective. I know that the game was a little out of hand by then, but he threw the ball well.”
Fairborn’s bats weren’t entirely silent. Bronson Marlett did manage to squeeze off a double at the bottom of the fifth. A pair of walks by Zac Gillespie and Moorman left the bases momentarily loaded. But, Butler’s sophomore pitcher, Taylore Cherry, stultified Fairborn’s efforts to bring their runners home.
“Taylore’s got good stuff,” Dues said. “If you give good run support, good things are going to happen.”
“I thought we put the bat on the ball well against Taylore,” Smith said. “He’s a power pitcher and has got a nice curve ball. But, our kids stayed up there and swung the bat.”
