By John Enrietto
Eagle Sports Editor

BUTLER TWP — Butler wanted to win. North Allegheny had to.
The visiting Tigers broke open a close game with a three-run seventh inning and posted a 7-3 baseball victory over Butler Wednesday at Highfield Park.
The win moved North Allegheny within a half game of the Golden Tornado for the final WPIALplayoff berth in Section 1-AAAA. A loss would have eliminated the Tigers and clinched Butler's first baseball playoff berth in 12 years.
"They may have been a little hungrier than we were today,"Butler coach Dave Florie admitted.
The Tigers' Sam O'Neill pitched a three-hitter and struck out nine, but it was hardly a smooth one. He walked six, threw 139 pitches and made three errant throws to first base on pick-off attempts.
But he survived.
"Sam's our ace, he's a senior and we were going to leave the game in his hands, win or lose,"Tigers coach Andy Maddix said.
North Allegheny took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning, when Butler made it close. The Tornado's Darren Blakley walked to begin the frame and Jeff Slater singled to right. Tim Geibel walked to load the bases.
Dustin Uhlman's sacrifice fly to right field plated one run. Slater wound up crossing the plate on O'Neill's third errant pick-off attempt.
Leading 4-3, NAgot some insurance runs in the seventh. Jeff Dassner was hit by a pitch and Jon Wilson tried to bunt him to second. After Wilson was retired at first, however, he knocked the ball out of first baseman Geibel's glove and Dassner dashed to third.
After a lengthy conference, the umpires ruled Wilson out and ordered Dassner back to first base because of interference.
"That was a controversial call and we thought we got the raw end of it,"Maddix said. "But those things happen.
"Our kids responded well, took matters into their own hands by banging out hits and got the job done."
Dassner moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Dylan Songer's single to right. A two-out double by Jackson Boyd plated Songer and Justin Brozick followed with a run-scoring single.
Geibel pitched the first 4Z\c innings and took the loss for Butler, which committed four errors.
"All I want to see is our guys playing baseball out here,"Florie said. "That means good pitching, good fielding and, hopefully, some timely hitting. We didn't do that today."
Slater had two of Butler's three hits and scored twice. The fourth through ninth batters in the Tornado lineup were a combined 0-for-15 with eight strikeouts.
"Every game's a playoff game for us right now,"Maddix said. "We know we have to win them all. It can be fun having to play that way."
Butler can still clinch a playoff spot on its own by winning two of its final three section games.