A single by Cash Turner put the Hermitage Hornets on the board in the bottom of the first. The Hornets added to their early lead in the bottom of the third inning after Turner singled, and Ashton Sawyer singled, each scoring one run.
Butler tied the game in the top of the sixth, thanks to a singled by Junior Brayden Jackson, an error, and a single by Sophomore Brandon Hammett.
The Butler Bears captured the lead, 6-4, in the top of the seventh after Sophomore Cohen Wilson tripled, and Freshman Rhett Newsome singled, each scoring one run.
The Hornets tied the game in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a fielder’s choice by Sawyer, and a singled by Bennett Mantooth.
Butler flipped the game on its head in the top of the ninth, scoring six runs on five hits to take a 12-6 lead. The biggest blow in the inning was an error that drove in two.
Sophomore Brock Lines earned the win for the Bears. The reliever allowed zero hits and zero runs over two and one-third innings, striking out one and walking none. Junior Eli Cox stepped in the mound first for the Bears.
The Butler Bears piled up 16 hits in the game. Sophomore Bryson Kash and Wilson were a force together in the lineup, as they each collected three hits for the Bears while hitting back-to-back.
The Hermitage Hornets amassed 10 hits in the game. Sawyer led the Hornets with two runs batted in. The right-handed hitter went 2-for-5 in the day. Turner went 3-for-5 at the plate to lead the Hornets in hits. Earwood and Sawyer each stole multiple bases. The Hornets ran wild on the base paths, piling up four stole bases for the game.
Next up for the Butler Bears is a game at Midway with the Vikings on Monday.