BY GRAYSON PRATHER | STAFF REPORTER | gprather@butler.com
The Butler University softball team hosts Eastern Illinois University today at 4 p.m. in search of its third straight win.
The Bulldogs (17-22) beat Ball State University last night in Muncie 6-4 in 11 innings.
Junior Kristin Gutierrez earned her ninth win for the Bulldogs, throwing the final four innings of the game. She held the Cardinals (21-20) scoreless on two hits and one walk.
Sophomore Brandyce Sallee went 4-6 with three singles and a double for Butler, pushing her batting average to .313 on the season.
The Bulldogs’ approach to every game has stayed consistent this year, head coach Scott Hall said last week.
“It’s the same mentality every game,” he said.“We’ve just got to compete.”
Butler will have to do just that this weekend to keep itself in the race for the four-team Big East Tournament with just nine conference games remaining, including three at home with Georgetown University Saturday and Sunday.
“I always tell them it is all between the ears,” assistant coach Jenna Grim said during Butler’s homestand last weekend. “If you want to win, you want to win. But we have got to keep rolling and take advantage of our opportunities.”
Today’s matchup
Eastern Illinois (14-21) has one player who will be playing a home game of sorts.
Freshman pitcher/infielder Michelle Rogers is a graduate of Scecina Memorial High School on the east side of Indianapolis.
Rogers is 6-10 in the circle on the year with an earned run average of 3.97 over 97 innings pitched.
The Panthers won two games against the University of Tennessee at Martin over the weekend after losing four straight games, including two against Ball State.
Big East Outlook
The Bulldogs host the Georgetown Hoyas for a doubleheader Saturday, with the series finale on Sunday.
Georgetown (13-24) is 3-7 in Big East play, while the Bulldogs are 4-8 in the conference, two games behind the fourth-place cutoff for the tournament.
The Bulldogs are still yet to face the second and third placed teams this year, DePaul University and Seton Hall University, respectively.
The Bulldogs will host Seton Hall for three games April 25 through April 26, then travel to Chicago for three with the Blue Demons in what will be the final games of the regular season.
