By Dan Ramey
The Lafayette Aviators were crowned 2017 Prospect League Champions with a 12-0 win over Butler Sunday.
The Aviators won the last two games to win the best-of-three series, and they stamped the win with a 10-run 9th inning.
Lafayette took a 2-0 lead after Evan Kennedy (Purdue) hit his second 2-run homer in as many nights in the 2nd innings.
Neither team scored again until the roof caved in on the Blue Sox in Lafayette’s final at bat. Thirteen Aviators went to the plate and scored 10 times on 5 hits, 5 walks and 6 wild pitches.
Butler’s Josh LaPiana (Utah) suffered the loss despite giving up two runs on three hits over five innings. Lafayette’s Sam Hubbe (Butler U.) earned the win pitching three hitless innings in relief. Four Aviators pitchers combined to hold Butler to just five hits.
Kennedy drove in three runs going 2-for-4 on the day.
It’s the first PL Championship for Lafayette formerly the Jamestown Jammers. It was Butler’s first trip to the title game.