The Butler baseball team put together one of its best strings of pitching so far this season.

But Valparaiso threw even better and came away with a three-game series sweep over the weekend.

On Sunday, the Bulldogs (19-21, 7-11) saw the Crusaders (18-20, 12-6) tally two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to come away with a 3-2 victory.

The contest was the second game of a doubleheader.

“The cold, windy conditions made it very challenging for both teams,” Butler coach Steve Farley said.

Valparaiso freshman shortstop Spencer Mahoney drove in the game-winning run on a bases-loaded walk.

Junior third baseman Elliott Martin drove in the Crusaders’ first ninth-inning run with a single.

Junior pitcher Chase Byerly allowed both runs, which were unearned, and suffered the loss. Butler got out to an early lead with an RBI single from junior first baseman Jimmy Risi.

Freshman pitcher Eric Stout started for the Bulldogs and gave up one run over five innings, tallying three strikeouts.

Stout was able to get out of a fifth-inning bases loaded jam without any damage done before turning things over to Byerly.

The Bulldogs added another run in the fifth inning on a home run by sophomore centerfielder Marcos Calderon.

Mahoney, Martin and senior catcher Billy Cribbs led the Crusaders, putting up one RBI apiece in the nightcap.

The day’s first game saw another pitchers’ duel, with Valparaiso winning 1-0.

Butler senior pitcher Brad Schnitzer pitched all eight innings for the Bulldogs, allowing one earned run, five hits and one walk.

The run came on a second-inning RBI single by senior right fielder Steven Scoby.

Junior designated hitter Pat Gelwicks led Butler with three of the team’s four hits. Gelwicks also found himself in scoring position three times, but the Bulldogs could not capitalize.

Crusaders senior pitcher Kevin Wild tossed a complete game shutout, allowing three walks and striking out five in addition to the four hits allowed.

On Friday, Butler senior pitcher Dom Silvestri gave up four earned runs in the first inning. It proved to be too much for the Bulldogs to overcome, as Valparaiso walked away with a 4-2 win. Silvestri silenced the Crusaders for the next six innings, but Butler could only manage two runs on four hits.

Silvestri struck out four, walked two and gave up six hits in his seven innings of work.

Butler will face the University of Indianapolis this afternoon before three games against Horizon League-leading Wright State this weekend.

“A lot of people feel outside of the league like Wright State is so much better and that they’re just going to run through the conference tournament,” Byerly said. “We want to send them a message this weekend and let them know that’s not the case.”

The downtown digs of the Indianapolis Indians became the home of Butler baseball yesterday as the Bulldogs (18-15, 6-6) faced Ball State at Victory Field.

Two eighth-inning home runs gave Butler an 8-6 comeback win over the Cardinals (7-22, 3-6).

After grabbing an early 1-0 lead, the Bulldogs gave up six runs in the third inning.

Senior pitcher Dom Silvestri was charged with all six of Ball State’s runs.

The first two Cardinal batters of the inning walked and singled, setting up four consecutive run-scoring at-bats.

Butler whittled away at the lead by scoring two runs in the fifth inning and another one in the sixth, cutting the score to 6-4.

Junior designated hitter Pat Gelwicks struck a two-run home run to tie the game at six in the eighth inning.

Two batters later, junior first baseman Jimmy Risi hit a go-ahead two-run home run to give the Bulldogs an 8-6 advantage.

With the bases loaded and one out in the ninth inning, junior pitcher Chase Byerly held off the Ball State rally by striking out sophomore shortstop T.J. Weir and forcing a groundout from sophomore first baseman Cody Campbell.

Prior to the contest, junior catcher Radley Haddad said playing in a professional ballpark like Victory Field is the dream for many players.

“All of us as college baseball players have the goal to play at the next level,” Haddad said. “Playing in a bigger stadium, getting our name out there and putting Butler on the map is pretty cool.”

Junior infielder Lucas Calderon said he was also excited to play at Victory Field.

“Ever since you’re a little kid, you want to play on a professional field and in one of the nicest minor league ballparks,” Calderon said.

Calderon’s family in Florida was also able to watch the game since it was televised.

“[I’m looking forward to] the chance to play in a televised game because that means my family back home in Miami will be able to watch me,” Calderon said before the game.

Prior to taking on the Cardinals, the Bulldogs visited Horizon League opponent Milwaukee for a three-game series.

Butler fell to the Panthers (11-17, 6-6) in the rubber game Saturday, losing 16-4. The Bulldogs committed four errors that helped the Panthers score five unearned runs.

Butler junior centerfielder Jack Dillon picked up two hits and an RBI in the loss.

Butler picked up a 3-2 win in Friday’s game at Milwaukee thanks to an odd first inning inside-the-park home run in the first inning by senior right fielder Mike Hoscheit.

With runners on first and second, Hoscheit hit a fly ball to right field, and the foot of Milwaukee sophomore right fielder Ryan Solberg became stuck in the fence as he was fielding the ball.

With Solberg unable to break free from the fence to make the play, Hoscheit, Gelwicks and Risi scored the Bulldogs’ only runs of the game.

Butler lost the series opener Thursday in a 14-2 loss to Milwaukee.

The Bulldogs will host Illinois-Chicago for a three-game series starting Friday.

Photo by Rachel Anderson

Men’s basketball and football dominate the athletics scene not only at Butler but also at universities across the nation.

Because of this, spring sports often take a back seat to these fall and winter sports no matter how well teams might be doing, and attendance statistics reflect this.

Junior first baseman Pat Gelwicks, a member of the Butler baseball team, said he thinks revenue is a big factor in the turnouts for spring sporting events.

“Football and basketball are the sports that are the moneymakers for the athletic(s) department, and they have bigger facilities because of the number of people who go to their games,” Gelwicks said. “I also think that sports like basketball and football are more publicized, and that’s how it is in other places too.”

According to the NCAA, an average of 7,178 people attended each Butler men’s basketball game at Hinkle Fieldhouse during the 2010-2011 season, the most recent season with available statistics.

The Butler football team saw an average of 2,619 people walk through the gates of the Butler Bowl per game during its 2011 season.

Attendance figures for spring sports such as baseball, softball, golf, tennis and track and field are not available on the NCAA website.

Of Butler’s spring sports, only baseball and softball have attendance figures included in their box scores on www.butlersports.com.

The largest home crowd of the ongoing season for the baseball team was 277 for a doubleheader against Wright State on March 24.

In a game against Loyola of Chicago on March 31, the softball team drew a season-high 187 fans.

Senior first baseman Erin Falkenberry said she thinks softball does not get as much exposure as other sports and cited the location of the softball field as a reason why.

“I don’t think there’s that much publicity or promotion for softball games, so that could be why,” Falkenberry said. “I don’t think a lot of students know about us, and with our location so far away from campus, I don’t think, unless you’ve been out there, that you’d know there’s a softball field out there.”

Baseball junior infielder Bob Akin said the numerous games that baseball and softball teams play during their seasons could factor into why few people attend games.

Collegian file photo

“We play four or five games a week and play the same team for several games in a row,” Akin said. “With basketball, there’s one big rivalry game to go to, so I think that has something to do with it.”

Gelwicks also said the number of games that are played in a season, as well as Butler’s small enrollment, could have something to do with the lower attendance.

“The fact that we play so many games means there’s a bit of a spread-out crowd,” Gelwicks said. “Plus, Butler’s a smaller school. Most schools that get large crowds are bigger public schools.”

Unpredictable spring weather could also play a role in the low number of fans at sporting events, considering that the majority are contested outdoors.

“It’s usually colder during our season, and people don’t want to sit in the cold for three hours,” Gelwicks said.

While Falkenberry said having more fans at home games would be appreciated, the low attendance does not bother her.

“It doesn’t bother us,” Falkenberry said. “But we would love to get the support that other teams on campus get.”

The Butler baseball team piled up runs against Wabash yesterday, taking advantage of five errors and winning by a score of 17-3.

Photo by Marcy Thornsberry

The Bulldogs (16-13, 5-4) broke open the game with five runs in the fourth inning and four runs in the fifth innings against the Little Giants (13-14).

Junior Pat Gelwicks continued to lead Butler offensively. The designated hitter had a home run and five RBI in the contest.

Senior right fielder Mike Hoscheit had a home run and three RBI, and senior shortstop Griffin Richeson had three hits and scored three runs from the leadoff spot.

Seven of the Bulldogs’ 17 runs were unearned.

Last weekend, Butler took two out of three games in a weekend series against the Youngstown State Penguins.

With the victories, the Bulldogs moved into second place in the Horizon League.

On Sunday, the team defeated the Penguins (4-22, 2-7) 18-5 behind a strong performance from Gelwicks.

Gelwicks was a force once again, going 5-for-7 with a home run, a double and three RBI.

Butler jumped out to an early lead, scoring five runs in the top of the first inning.

The Bulldogs added six runs in the top of the sixth inning and collected four more in the top of the ninth inning.

Ten Butler players recorded at least one RBI in the contest.

Senior pitcher Mike Hernandez gave up one earned run and scattered six hits over six innings pitched. Hernandez also struck out two Penguins in the weekend’s rubber game.

On Saturday, the Penguins got the best of the Bulldogs, who committed four errors in the first three innings of the game.

Youngstown State won the game by a 9-3 margin despite tallying only three earned runs.

Sophomore third baseman Drew Dosch went 3-for-5 with four RBI and a double for the Penguins.

Youngstown State sophomore pitcher Patrick O’Brien scored his first victory of the season, while Butler junior pitcher Joel Leichty suffered his first loss of the campaign.

On Friday, Butler senior pitcher and Youngstown native Dom Silvestri had a successful homecoming, leading the Bulldogs to a 7-5 win.

Silvestri pitched six innings, giving up three earned runs on five hits to improve his record to 3-0.

Four Bulldogs recorded a double and Hoscheit hit a home run.

Hoscheit led Butler offensively, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.

Butler led 7-4 after six innings and Youngstown State was unable to rally back.

The Bulldogs will jump back into conference action when they take on Milwaukee in a three-game series from Thursday to Saturday.

The Butler baseball team put an end to a three-game losing streak and swept the series against a non-conference opponent, Lawrence.

The Bulldogs (15-16, 4-5 HL) outscored the Vikings (2-21), 32-3, during the three-game weekend series and were victorious in all three contests.

“I expected us to have a very successful series against Lawrence,” head coach Steve Farley said. “Our starting pitchers gave us three good outings and overall we played good defense.”

The Vikings tallied their first runs of the series late in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday. It was not nearly enough, however, as Butler finished off Lawrence, 14-3, in seven innings.

A five-run first inning gave the Bulldogs all the runs they needed. Sophomore designated hitter Pat Gelwicks had a two-run triple in the frame and later scored on a wild pitch.

In the third inning, the Bulldogs managed to plate three more runs without recording a hit.

Butler scored seven more times during the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to lead 12-0 before Lawrence brought home its only three runs of the series in the sixth inning.

Ten different Bulldogs had a hit during the game.

Leading the way was Gelwicks, who went 1-for-2 with two RBIs and a walk. Junior shortstop Griffin Richeson and junior right fielder Mike Hoscheit both had a pair of RBIs as well.

“We have a lot of parts we can put in to produce,” Richeson said. “We have been changing lineups, but we have 12 or 13 guys who can come in and do a good job.”

Junior Mike Hernandez picked up his third victory of the season by pitching six innings for Butler. He allowed three runs, one earned, on seven hits.

The first game of the doubleheader was headlined by the pitching of senior Jared Wagoner, as the Bulldogs shut out the Vikings, 11-0, in seven innings.

With the win, Wagoner improved his record to 4-3 this season. He went six innings, giving up just three hits while striking out six and walking none.

“I thought I pitched pretty well,” Wagoner said. “I was really efficient and I made pitches when I needed to.”

Freshman third baseman Patrick Guinane and senior shortstop Luke Duncan had three RBIs apiece in the win. Senior first baseman Grant Fillipitch turned in a strong performance at the plate as well, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs.

“It was great that all of our position players got the opportunity to get in the games and help us score a bunch of runs,” Farley said.

The opening game of the series featured more solid pitching for Butler, this time from senior Dom Silvestri, as the Bulldogs toppled Lawrence, 7-0.

Silvestri had little trouble with the Vikings’ lineup.

He threw seven scoreless innings, giving up three hits and striking out eight.

Butler provided support for Silvestri by putting up crooked numbers in the third and fourth innings.

Guinane was the top producer for Butler, driving home three runs with a single and a triple. Fillipitch tallied three hits and an RBI in the contest.

Butler’s scheduled game against Ball State yesterday was canceled due to weather.

The Bulldogs look to repeat their weekend success against conference foe UIC at home Friday and Saturday.

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