May 28, 2004

Martino's Walk-Off Homer Vaults Butler Past Detroit, 4-3

    Niles, Ohio -- Butler's Matt Martino hit a pinch-hit walk-off home run down the right field line in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Bulldogs to a 4-3 victory over Detroit in an elimination game at the Horizon League Championship.
    Butler improves to 29-29 and moves on to face Cleveland State in another elimination game tonight at 6:30 p.m. while Detroit finishes the season at 19-38.
    Detroit held a 3-1 advantage heading into the bottom of the eighth, but Butler rallied to tie the score with two unearned runs in the bottom half of the frame to set up Martino's heroics in the 10th.
    Matt Byzet went the distance for the Bulldogs, allowing three runs on nine hits in 10 innings of work.  Bob Lothian was tagged with the loss as he allowed three runs in 3 2/3 innings of relief.
    The Titans jumped out to a 1-0 advantage in the first when Jamey Embree scored on a passed ball, but the Bulldogs tied the score at one in the fourth when Matt Crews scored on a sacrifice fly from Ryan Nance.
    Detroit answered with a run in both the fifth and sixth innings on two RBI singles from Embry and Mark Moehlig.
    The Bulldogs answered with two unearned runs in the eight to tie the contest.  Joe Dempsey hit a one-out triple to start the rally and Crews reached on a dropped fly ball by third baseman Alex Martin.  Dempsey then scored on a ground out from Mike Rosen and Tony Barnes hit an RBI single up the middle to plate Crews for the tying run.
    Detroit had a chance to go ahead in the ninth as it put runners on first and third with nobody out, but Barnes gunned Joe Kotowski at the plate from third and Byzet retired the next two hitters to keep the score knotted at three.
    Butler also had a chance to end it in the ninth when Dale Mueller reached on an error with one out, but Charlie Anderson made a running catch on the warning track in right and doubled up Mueller at first, who was running on the pitch, to send the game to extra frames.
    Daniel Dobberowsky and Kyle Crepeau led the Titans with two hits apiece while seven different Bulldogs recorded a hit.