The Butler softball team went 2-1 at the BUCO Bash Tournament this past weekend, including a pair of wins Saturday against Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa and North Central Texas.
Butler (20-12 overall, 7-3 Jayhawk West) defeated Tonkawa 6-2, then run-ruled North Central Texas 10-0 in five innings. The Grizzlies finished up play Sunday with a 6-1 loss to Jefferson (Mo.) College.
The Grizzlies jump back into conference play Wednesday when they head to Pratt for a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.
Butler 6, Northern OK-Tonkawa 2
Trailing 1-0, Butler scored two runs in the third to take a lead they would never relinquish. Haylee Lorenz opened the inning with a walk, then moved to third on a throwing error when Jill Shipman singled. Aujanae McCoy followed two batters later with a single to score Lorenz. Shipman scored on a Megan Wurts sacrifice fly.
In the fourth, Monica Islava and Gracie Bogle had RBI hits to put Butler up 4-1. Islava hit a double to left to score Morgan Heckart, while Bogle singled to score Islava.
Tonkawa scored a run in the top of the fifth, but Butler added two more runs in the sixth on Karlie Peck's two-run triple that scored Shipman and Ally Knopp.
The visiting Mavericks threatened in the seventh inning by loading the bases with two outs, but pitcher Kaelah McMullin struck out Tonkawa's McKenzie Martin for the final out. McMullin allowed 10 hits, but just one earned run while striking out seven.
Butler 10, North Central Texas 0 (5 innings)
Danae Bina began the scoring in the third, reaching first on a hit by pitch, then stealing second, third and scoring on an RBI single by McCoy. Megan Wurts then drove McCoy on a single, then later scored on a double by Islava.
Leading 3-0 in the fourth, Butler added two more runs with a two-out rally. Bina reached first again with a hit by pitch, stole second and scored on a single by Peck. The Grizzlies made the score 5-0 when Peck came home on a double by Wurts.
The Grizzlies then put the game away with two home runs in the inning, beginning with Knopp's two-run shot with no outs. Haylee Lorenz capped Butler's five-run fifth inning by ending the game with a walk-off three-run home run.
Wurts and McCoy each went 2-for-3 in the contest, while Bina scored three runs and had three stolen bases.
Freshman pitcher Jenny Hittinger earned the win by throwing five shutout innings, allowing just two hits and fanning three batters.
Jefferson (Mo.) 6, Butler 1
Jefferson pounded out 14 hits in the 6-1 win over Butler, who scored its only run on a two-out RBI single by Morgan Heckart in the sixth.
Butler trailed 2-0 early as Jefferson scored a run in each of the first two innings. In the top of the sixth, Jefferson's Tara Cannella hit a two-run double, then Theresa DeCosty hit an RBI single to left-center for a 5-0 lead.
Hittinger took the loss for the Grizzlies, as she gave up five runs on 13 hits in six innings.
