The Butler softball team strengthened its lead in the Jayhawk West with a doubleheader sweep of Seward County on Wednesday at East Park in El Dorado, as pitcher Mac Millspaugh earned both wins.
Butler run-ruled the Saints 9-0 in five innings in the first game and then came from behind twice to win 11-6 in the second game.
The Grizzlies are now 7-1 in Jayhawk West Conference play with eight conference games remaining, having taken three of four games this season from Seward, which is now 6-4 in conference play. Garden City now moves into second with a 4-2 conference record.
Butler will play a doubleheader at Garden City on Wednesday, April 11 in its next action.
GAME 1
Butler pounded out three home runs in the run-rule shortened win, including a two-run shot by Kelsey Berlin that ended the game in the bottom of the fifth. Abby Furstenberg and Kaitlyn Wolken also hit solo home runs.
Berlin, Furstenberg, Alex Millspaugh and Alyssa Aguilar each had two hits in the game.
In the circle, pitcher Mac Millspaugh had one of her better performances of the season, allowing just four hits while striking out four Seward batters with no walks as she threw her third shutout of the season.
GAME 2
Butler jumped ahead 1-0 on an RBI single by Alex Millspaugh in the second inning. Seward County would take a 4-1 lead in the top of the third inning, but the Grizzlies answered back with an RBI double by Kaitlyn Wolken and RBI singles by Kelsey Berlin and Ashley Malone.
Seward took the lead again in the top of the fourth inning with two runs, but again Butler came back. In the bottom of the inning, Rachel Harper doubled to drive in Alyssa Aguilar and Alex Millspaugh to tie the game and then scored later in the inning when Ashley Malone reached on an error, putting Butler in the lead by a 7-6 score.
Butler stretched the lead to 9-6 when Kelci Garza hit a 2-run homer just inside the left field foul pole in the bottom of the fifth. The Grizzlies tacked on two insurance runs in the sixth on an RBI double by Mac Millspaugh and an RBI single by Alex Millspaugh.
Mac Millspaugh earned her second win of the day, coming on in relief of starter Kelsey Berlin. Millspaugh threw 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out three.