Story by Wyatt Ebersole
The #3 seeded Butler Baseball team could not overcome an early 7-1 deficit and fell in game one of the Region VI First Round to the #14 seeded Allen County Red Devils, 7-6. The win for Allen County means they need to win just one more game to take the best-of-three series and advance to the Region VI Tournament hosted in Wichita, Kansas at Eck Stadium
The Red Devils took the lead early in game one, hitting a two-run homer to right field in the first inning to open the scoring and set the Grizzlies down to give the Devils a 2-0 lead through one inning. After Anibal Rivera turned a nice double-play in the second inning, Brock Toothaker got the Grizzlies on the board with a two-out, RBI single to left to make it a 2-1 game through two innings. The Devils went back to work in their half of third, scoring three runs to jump up by four runs. After a quiet fourth, Allen found another run in the top of the fifth via an RBI double to increase their lead further to 6-1. Another RBI double in the top of the sixth for the Red Devils made it 7-1, leaving the Grizzlies desperate for answers. Justin Hudson answered the call for help with a no-doubt, two-run home run to left that cut the lead down to four runs at 7-3. The Grizzlies threatened more, but Allen worked out of a two runners on, one-out jam to hold the Grizzlies off. After Zach Brink delivered a scoreless inning in relief, Hudson hit a sacrifice fly to center, and Brock Lummus hit an RBI single to center to bring the Grizzlies within two, down just 7-5 through seven innings. Brink tossed a scoreless eighth, but the Grizzlies couldn't muster any offense in the eighth, meaning it was still 7-5 heading into the ninth. Brink delivered another masterful inning, giving the Grizzlies hope in the bottom half. Hayden Dyer led off the inning by crushing a solo home run to left field to make it 7-6 with nobody out, but Dyer's homer was all the Grizzlies could bring home in the ninth and Allen County collected the win, 7-6.
Hudson was 1-4 with his two-run homer and his sacrifice fly.
Brink was great in relief. He threw 3.1 innings, allowing no hits and no runs, while striking out four batters.
The loss for the Grizzlies turns the next two games into must-win games if the Grizzlies want to continue their season.
