Butler splits Sunday doubleheader with Northern OK-Tonkawa

The Butler softball team split a pair of one-run games on Sunday in a non-conference doubleheader against Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa at East Park.

Butler (11-5 overall, 3-1 conference) will be on the road for Jayhawk Conference doubleheaders on Tuesday at Hutchinson and on Wednesday at Independence before returning home for four games this weekend.

GAME 1 – Butler 1, Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa 0

The Grizzlies got a pitching gem from Megan Johnson in the first game, recording their first shutout of the season. She went the distance, allowing just three hits, with two of those coming in the first two innings.

Johnson (3-1) retired the side in order in four of the seven innings, including each of the final three innings, retiring the final 10 batters in a row. The sophomore righthander struck out five batters while picking up her first complete-game shutout of her career.

Offensively, Butler got the only run of the game in the third inning. Meghan Gutierrez led off the inning with a single up the middle and went to second on a wild pitch. She went to third on a single by Shayna Espy. Moments later, Espy went to steal second, and when the throw to second got away, Gutierrez was able to score.

Espy had two hits for Butler and was the only player in the game for either team to have multiple hits in the contest.

Game 2 – Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa 5, Butler 4

Butler fell behind 5-0 and despite a late seventh-inning homer from Anna Icenhower, could not catch up.

Northern scored four runs in the first inning against Butler starter Olivia DePew, as she allowed a walk, two singles and a double. The Mavericks added a run in the second inning on a solo homer by Kendall Heisler.

Butler finally got on the board in the fourth inning when Jaime Barta scored from third on a wild pitch.

In the fourth inning, Makensey Pankers ripped a double to right-center to drive in Taliya Talley and pinch-runner Taylor Lambert, getting Butler within two at 5-3.

In the seventh, Anna Icenhower led off the inning with a solo homer to left. Pankers followed with a long fly ball that was just shy of a homer, getting caught at the fence by the Northern outfielder in left. Butler's next two batters were retired to end the game.

DePew (3-2) took the loss, going four innings and allowing five runs, four of them earned. Kaylee Burnett threw three scoreless innings in relief.