The Butler softball team split the first two games of its three-game series against Horizon League rival Wright State yesterday.
Photo by Josh Morris
In the first game of the series, the Bulldogs (17-26, 7-7) grabbed a 5-1 victory.
Butler got on the board early with a two-out RBI double from senior catcher Mallory Winters.
Then, with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth inning, senior Alyssa Coleman recorded a pinch hit, three-run double to pad Butler’s lead.
The Bulldogs added one more run in the sixth inning.
In the second game, Butler started out strong again.
Freshman third baseman Callie Dennison scored on a single by junior Meaghan Sullivan in the bottom of the first inning.
The Raiders (18-24, 6-8) tied it up in the second inning before the Bulldogs added an unearned run in the third inning.
Errors would plague Butler the rest of game.
The Raiders added two runs in fifth—both unearned—as a result of Butler fielding errors.
The Bulldogs tried to rally in the bottom of the sixth inning, but mistakes on the base paths prevented them from scoring.
“It came down to four errors and some critical base-running mistakes,” coach Scott Hall said. “We have to be able to execute.”
The bright spot for Butler were solid pitching performances from sophomore Leah Bry in both games.
“Leah was awesome today,” Hall said. “We just have to do a better job of playing defense and backing her up.”
Last weekend, the Bulldogs won one game in a three-game series against conference opponent Green Bay.
Butler lost the first game 4-1, not getting a hit until the seventh inning.
Bry took the loss for the Bulldogs.
The second game was a different story, with the Bulldogs recording a season-high 17 hits and winning by a 9-8 margin.
Butler got out of the gate quickly, scoring four runs in the first inning.
Three of the runs came from a swing of the bat, as senior outfielder Lauren McNulty cracked a three-run home run.
The Phoenix (15-17, 4-5) answered back and took a 7-4 lead into the sixth inning.
In the top of that inning, freshman infielder Kristen Boros hit a solo home run to cut the lead to two.
Butler then tied the game with two runs in the seventh inning.
McNulty broke the 7-7 deadlock in the 10th inning with a solo shot to center field.
It was her sixth long ball of the season.
The Bulldogs added an insurance run with a double from freshman Maria Leichty and an RBI single from Winters, giving the Bulldogs the 9-8 win.
Senior pitcher Breanna Fisher picked up her fourth win of the season.
In the final game of the series, the Phoenix recorded 13 hits and scored 11 runs in just four innings.
Photo by Josh Morris
Butler had only four hits and three runs in the 11-3 loss.
The Bulldogs did pick up a non-conference win last Thursday against Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
Butler had five hits and a shut-out performance from Bry on the way to 4-0 victory.
The Bulldogs will finish the three-game series against Wright State today.
Butler will then close out its six-game homestand with a three-game series against Detroit this weekend.
