By Dan Ramey
Lafayette tied up the Prospect League Championship Series at a game apiece with an 11-8 win over Butler Saturday.
The Aviators chased Butler starter Alex Stobert (Tallahassee CC) who gave up six runs on six hits over the first two innings. Evan Kennedy smacked a two out 2-run homer in the 1st inning. Lafayette struck again in the 2nd scoring three more runs with two outs.
Logan Beaman (Eastern Illinois) had held the opposition in check into the 6th inning. Beaman scattered seven hits and allowed just a run through 5.1 innings and left the game with a 9-1 lead. The Aviators extended the lead to 11-2 on a 2-run homer by Brian Sharp (Missouri) in the 8th inning before the Blue Sox mounted a comeback.
Butler did their damage against reliever Brandon Phelps (IPFW). After retiring two batters to close the 6th, the Blue Sox roughed up Phelps for seven runs on six hits. In the Butler 8th, an error led to three runs scoring Brady Gulakowski (NC State), Justin Kirkpatrick (Ball State) and Stefan Mrkonja (Point Park) on a drive by Tanner Murphy (North Florida).
Patrick Ferguson (Kent State) led off the 9th with a solo home run to cut the Aviators’ lead to 11-6 before Lafayette’s Jeff Peterson (UMass Lowell) got the final two outs to get the Aviators out the jam.
Sharp was 3-for-4 at the plate with 3RBI to pace Lafayette. Beaman earned the win and Storber took the loss.
The deciding game in the series is Sunday at Butler’s Kelly Automotive Park.