The Butler softball team placed second at the Woo Pig Classic on Sunday after a 6-5 loss to host Arkansas in the championship game.

The Bulldogs (3-5) sent the game into extra innings with a run in the top of the seventh inning and took the lead, 5-3, in the top of the eighth inning after a two-run home run by senior catcher Mallory Winters.

But the Razorbacks (16-2) staged a comeback in the bottom of the eighth inning, scoring three runs to defeat the Bulldogs.

“We felt we played well in the last game of the tournament, but we aren’t satisfied with placing second,” sophomore infielder Krista Hakola said. “We know we have the potential to do better so we want to continue working hard to get better and use this as a learning experience.”

Butler’s second victory of the tournament was a 3-0 win over Drake (6-11) earlier in the day.

Butler senior Breanna Fisher and sophomore Leah Bry combined to pitch a three-hit shutout in the contest.

“We worked on keeping up our intensity and focus throughout games and maintaining pressure on the other teams so as to not let them think they had a chance to make a comeback against us,” Hakola said.

The Bulldogs lost to Arkansas 3-1 in their second game of the tournament after Razorbacks’ sophomore infielder Chloe Oprzedeck hit a walk-off home run.

The Bulldogs started the Classic with a 5-1 win against Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis on Saturday.

“We won our first game but definitely came out knowing we had areas to improve on,” Hakola said. “We knew we had to keep the intensity we had in the first couple innings throughout the entire game and not let up.”

The Bulldogs will continue their season in the Bayer CropScience Classic Friday through Sunday. They will face off against San Diego State, Oregon, California and host Fresno State in the event.

The Butler men’s tennis team captured its elusive first victory of the spring season on Friday.

The Bulldogs (1-11) put an end to a 10-match losing streak with a 4-3 win over Bradley.

Butler defeated the Braves (5-8) at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles to take the doubles point.

Photo by Marcy Thornsberry

Freshmen Billy Weldon and Austin Woldmoe got the ball rolling in doubles action for the Bulldogs by topping sophomores Ashton Kalhorn and Hamish Weerasinghe 8-4 at No. 1 doubles.

At No. 3 doubles, Butler freshmen Pulok Bhattacharya and Sam O’Neill walked away with an 8-3 win over junior Eric Nguyen and freshman Ahmed Albitar.

Singles victories from Woldmoe, Weldon and freshman Tommy Marx sealed the deal for the Bulldogs.

Woldmoe downed Bradley sophomore Gabriel Townes at No. 1 singles 6-1, 6-2, while Marx topped junior Juan Diego Cuadrado 6-3, 6-4 in No. 2 singles action.

Weldon picked up a crucial win for the Bulldogs at No. 5 singles, defeating Weerasinghe 6-3, 0-6, 6-4.

The momentum from the win against Bradley could not propel Butler past No. 62 Drake the following day, though.

Butler will hit the road again this weekend to take on Dayton Friday and No. 26 Indiana Saturday.

The men’s tennis team opened its 2012 spring season facing what could be some of the toughest competition it will see this year.

The result was not what the Bulldogs hoped for, as they dropped a 7-0 decision to No. 3 Ohio State last Wednesday.

“As a team, going up against someone like Ohio State, we didn’t go in with the attitude of having to win,” senior Zach Ervin said. “We had the mindset of playing hard, and we will use it as a measuring stick for the rest of the season.”

Despite the loss, the team took away positives from the match that could help them throughout the rest of the season.

Each singles player won at least two games in their respective matches, while every Butler doubles pair won at least one game.

“We competed way beyond expectation,” freshman Pulok Bhattacharya said. “I have a pretty good feeling about this year.”

The Bulldogs were also able to identify some aspects of their play that need improvement.

“[The match] helped me know what specific shots I need to work on,” freshman Austin Woldmoe said. “It also showed us the type of level we need to be at, and everyone needs to up their level.”

According to coach Jason Suscha, one of the glaring aspects of Butler’s play that the team needs to work on is holding its serves and improving its serve percentage.

“We didn’t compete as well as we should have,” Suscha said. “Not that it would have changed the score, but we didn’t give ourselves a chance.”

The road does not get much easier for the Bulldogs, as they face top competition throughout their spring season, including No. 29 Indiana, Purdue, Harvard, Wisconsin and Drake.

“These [matches] actually pump me up a bit, saying I’ve been given such a big challenge, why not take it?” Bhattacharya said. “We are not scared of playing any of them. We expect to win.”

Butler will also have to deal with Horizon League powers Green Bay and reigning league champion Cleveland State.

“It’s definitely a tough schedule, and we’re on the road for 17 or 18 [matches],” Ervin said.

The road-heavy schedule will challenge a young Bulldog team that has six freshmen and only two seniors on its roster.

That does not mean, however, that the team lacks big goals for the season.

“We expect to compete and win the Horizon League in both the season and in the tournament,” Ervin said. “Our ultimate goal is to reach the NCAA tournament, and I think all of our individual and team goals revolve around that.”

Suscha said he agrees that even though the Bulldogs are a young team, they have the talent to win a conference championship.

The Bulldogs will begin a four-match road trip with contests against Northern Illinois on Thursday and Wisconsin on Friday.

Despite a stone-wall defense in the second half and a record-breaking performance by senior wide receiver Zach Watkins, the Butler football team fell to Drake 24-14 in a battle of the Bulldogs on Saturday.

The Bulldogs from Drake (3-1, 1-0) managed to find the end zone first, despite a sack by Butler senior defensive lineman Grant Hunter and an interception by senior linebacker Nick Caldicott.

Drake put the Butler Bulldogs (2-2, 0-1) in an early hole with a 6-yard run into the end zone by senior running back Patrick Cashmore. Butler blocked the extra point attempt, keeping the deficit at 6-0.

After the Drake touchdown, Butler’s defense continued to hang tough, with junior linebacker Jordan Ridley and junior defensive lineman Jack Tennant nabbing back-to-back sacks.

The defensive push sent Drake’s offense back 12 yards and started a Butler drive that carried into the second quarter.

Photo by Maria Porter

Less than a minute into the second quarter, the Butler Bulldogs found the end zone when senior wide receiver Jeff Larsen made a 24-yard reverse pass to Watkins for the touchdown.

“We try something every week that keeps them guessing, ‘will they or won’t they?’” head coach Jeff Voris said. “We thought we had that one pretty polished up.”

The reception gave Watkins his second school record in as many games. Watkins moved past Dan Bohrer on Butler’s all-time receiving yards list with 2,308.

Butler made the extra point, taking a short-lived 7-6 lead. A Drake touchdown with 6:58 left in the half followed by a successful two-point conversion and another run into the end zone gave Drake a 21-7 halftime advantage.

The third quarter was a defensive one for both teams, with a field goal by Drake accounting for the quarter’s only points. It would be the last score of the day for Drake’s offense.

“[The defense] was up to tempo on game speed,” Voris said. “Everyone was doing their job, being in the right place at the right time.”

Butler’s offense made a late push with a touchdown during the game’s final two minutes. Senior quarterback Andrew Huck completed a 27-yard pass to senior wide receiver Jordan Koopman to cut the lead to 24-14.

Butler’s defense recovered a fumble moments later, but the ensuing offensive drive ended with Huck being intercepted, preserving Drake’s victory.

“We have to move forward and leave this behind us,” Watkins said.

In addition to Watkins’ record-setting day, Huck attempted a school record 51 passes during the game, completing 27 of them.

Butler will travel to Dayton this Saturday for another Pioneer League matchup.

Photo by Tim Riethmiller

After a tough loss to Indiana State last weekend, sophomore running back Trae Heeter and the Butler football team got back on track with a 23-6 win against Taylor Saturday.

Heeter led the Bulldogs (2-1) and their powerful offensive attack, which racked up 475 yards in Butler’s first ever visit to Taylor.

Heeter, who was named the Pioneer Football League’s Offensive Player of the Week, was responsible for 155 of the Bulldogs’ 225 rushing yards and a touchdown. He also added three receptions for 59 yards and another score.

“Heeter had a really good day,” head coach Jeff Voris said. “The offensive line played very well in opening things up, and he did a nice job of running to daylight.”

Senior quarterback Andrew Huck continued his impressive  season with another banner day in the air and on the ground against the Trojans (2-1).

He threw for 250 yards and one touchdown and added 36 yards on the ground, including a 29-yard touchdown run.

“We came out of the gate a little slow, but we were able to get going,” Huck said. “He [Heeter] made people miss in the second level.”

On the receiving end of 85 of Huck’s passing yards, including a 38-yard connection, was senior wide receiver Jordan Koopman.

“Our offense was going pretty well, and Huck was throwing great balls,” Koopman said. “It really wasn’t hard. We just had to get open for him.”

Koopman and fellow senior Zach Watkins tied for the team lead with seven catches each.

With those seven receptions, Watkins became Butler’s all-time career leader in receptions, with 197. The previous record holder, Dan Bohrer, finished his career with 192 from 2006 to 2009.

Watkins also made the move into second place on Butler’s list for most career receiving yards with 2,217. He will again have to catch Bohrer, who recorded 2,241 receiving yards, if he wants the title for himself.

While the Butler offense was successful, the Bulldogs’ defense led the charge and shut down the Trojans for most of the day.

Led by junior linebacker Jordan Ridley and sophomore defensive back Jayme Szafranski, the defense forced three turnovers and held Taylor to 288 yards of total offense, including a mere 17 yards rushing.

“The story of the game really was the job our defense did early on and really all game,” Voris said. “Our guys were put in some tough situations, and they really played well to keep Taylor off the board.”

Taylor received the opening kickoff and drove down the field to the Bulldogs’ 14-yard line before Ridley came up with an interception of Taylor’s sophomore quarterback Nick Freeman.

The Trojans’ second drive of the game ended the same way, with Freeman throwing an interception deep in Butler territory. This time Szafranski made the pick and returned it 24 yards.

After a Butler miscue on a punt in the second half, Taylor had perhaps its best scoring opportunity of the game, with the ball on the Butler 6-yard line.

The Bulldogs kept the Trojans out of the end zone on that drive, as well as several others.

“That was just an awesome stand,” Voris said.

The Bulldogs will be at the Butler Bowl this weekend to open Pioneer Football League play. They host the Drake Bulldogs on Saturday at noon.