GREAT BEND, Kan. – The Butler baseball team ran its winning streak to nine games on Saturday in the first game of a doubleheader at Barton before falling in the nightcap.
Butler won the first game 7-3 behind a complete-game pitching effort from Carson Corff, but fell behind big in the second game and lost 11-8 despite mounting a late rally at Lawson-Biggs Field.
Evan Koehler had a hit in both games and drove in four runs on the day, extending his hitting streak to 12 consecutive games. He has also driven in at least one run in 10 straight games and has 34 RBI on the season, which ranks 10th nationally.
GAME 1 – Butler 7, Barton 3
Carson Corff threw six scoreless innings before surrendering three runs in the bottom of the seventh. He allowed five hits while striking out five and allowing just one walk.
Butler scored its runs with two big innings. The Grizzlies put up three in the second inning and four in the third. In the second, Zach Backer drove in a run with an RBI groundout. Logan Beard drove in another run with an RBI single and Evan Koehler drove in a run with an infield single.
In the third, all four runs were unearned. Logan Beard singled, and when the ball was misplayed by the centerfielder, two runs scored. Beard later scored on a wild pitch and Alex Weiss scored a run on a passed ball.
Butler had 11 hits in the game, two apiece by Dalton Wheat, Alex Weiss and Logan Beard.
GAME 2 – Barton 11, Butler 8
Butler took advantage of a Barton error to score a run in the top of the first, but Barton erupted to score six runs in the bottom of the second and added three more in the bottom of the fourth, leading 9-1.
Butler slowly started to chip away. A pair of Barton errors in the fifth allowed Cameron Knight and Dalton Wheat to score. In the seventh, Evan Koehler doubled to drive in a pair of runs and later scored on a Barton error, making the score 9-6.
Butler added a run in the eighth on an RBI single by Dalton Wheat to make it a 9-7 game, but the Grizzlies allowed two runs in the bottom of the eighth, sealing the defeat.
Brady Holcomb took the loss, allowing six runs in 1 2/3 innings. He is now 4-2 on the season. Jackson Rolfs allowed three runs in two innings of work, but none were earned. Kyle Vogt threw 3 2/3 innings of relief, allowing two runs, while Eliot King threw 2/3 an inning of scoreless baseball.
Butler had eight hits in the game, two from Cameron Knight. In addition to the double from Koehler, the Grizzlies got a triple from Alex Weiss.
