Butler Sinks Xenia In 11-1 Win

VANDALIA — Butler (14-1, 9-1) didn’t need anything extraordinary Tuesday.

Just five runs in the second inning - and the rest of the night to prove it was more than enough.

Behind another controlled start from junior Tate Richardson and a lineup that kept the pressure on, the Aviators handled Xenia, 11–1, in front of a home crown of just under 200.

It didn’t come all at once, even in that decisive second inning. It built the way Butler prefers - one quality at-bat at a time. Freshman Ezra Scheffler’s single brought home the first run, but more importantly, it opened the door. Walks followed. Balls found gaps. Runners moved base to base. By the time the inning closed, five runs were across and the tone had been set.

From there, the Aviators simply stayed consistent. Something they do quite well.

Richardson gave them exactly what they needed on the mound. Five innings, seven hits, one run - but more telling was how little those hits did for the Buccs. He worked ahead, limited free passes to just one, and never allowed Xenia to build momentum.

The closest Xenia came to doing that arrived in the fourth.

Two runners reached. A chance, briefly, to change the feel of the game.

It ended just as quickly.

A hard ground ball up the middle was met by junior shortstop Koby Dues, who ranged, gathered, and fired it into a clean, rally-ending double play - the kind of instinctive, sure-handed sequence that breaks both rally and spirit.

The lineup did the rest.

In the third, Richardson helped his own cause with a run-scoring hit, and senior Davis Ketterer followed with a productive ground ball that pushed another run across.

By the fifth, the separation was unmistakable and the run-rule was inevitable.

Seniors Paxton Dwenger and Aidan White each delivered run-scoring hits, junior Jackson Schilling added a sacrifice fly, and Butler pushed the lead into double digits. It felt less like a spark and more like the natural outcome of a lineup that had been applying pressure on Xenia all night.

Schilling finished with three RBIs on two hits, while junior Jack Egbert set the tone at the top, going 3-for-3 and consistently putting himself in the middle of the action. In all, Butler collected 11 hits and worked six walks - production spread throughout the order rather than carried by one bat.

For Xenia, there were chances - seven hits and a run in the fifth - but no stretch where the game ever tilted back. Xenia pitcher Emery Lane battled through three innings, but Butler’s patience and depth eventually created too much separation.

And that’s what this one became.

Not overwhelming. Not a compete avalanche.

Just Butler dictating games they way they have all spring.