Grizzlies sweep Mavericks in home Opener Tuesday afternoon

The Butler Softball team finally played on their own field for the first time this season and showed little rust after a 14-day break and picked up the sweep winning 12-4 and 12-9 over Northern Oklahoma College - Tonkawa.

Butler got things rolling right away in game one as Madi Young and Emily Adler went back to back with homeruns to start the game. Butler tacked on four more in the second and another five in the third to almost seal the deal on a quick run-rule. The Mavericks would score a run in the fifth forcing the game to go to the bottom of five. Sydney Adler would drive home her twin sister with a single to right scoring Emily Adler from second to end the game in five, 12-4.

Izzy Erickson picked up her fifth win of the year pitching three complete innings giving up two hits, no runs, no walks while striking out eight. She faced 11 batters in her three innings and threw 46 total pitches, 34 for strikes.

Madi Young went 4-4 with four RBI's and two runs scored. She had a homerun, two doubles and a stolen base. Brooke McCorkle finished 2-2 with two runs scored. Pitcher Izzy Erickson was 2-2 with a double, an RBI and scored twice and Emily Adler went 2-4 with a homerun and scored two runs.

GAME 2:

Madi Young started off game two the exact same way she did in game one with another solo homerun. Shayna Espy followed that with a double to left. Emily Adler wore one on the elbow to get on base and would advance to third off an Ari Cordova double to left that scored Espy. Brooke McCorkle hit a rocket line drive homerun over the left field fence scoring three giving Butler a 5-0 lead after the first inning.

Shayna Espy hit a solo homerun in the second and Ari Cordova hit another RBI double giving the Grizzlies a quick 7-0 lead. The bats would cool off in the third but came back alive in the fourth scoring another five runs which were started off by another Madi Young leadoff homerun. Shayna Espy backed that up with a triple and Emily Adler hit the Grizzlies fifth homerun in the game with a moon shot to right. 

Butler tried to put it away early, but the Mavericks wouldn't give up. They pieced together a three run sixth inning and came close to threatening in the seventh with a solo homerun and a runner on base but would fall short.

Hannah Knox got the start and threw two scoreless innings, but it would be Izzy Erickson chalking up the win as she was the reliever who had the most impact in the game. Erickson pitched 2.0 innings allowing a solo homerun and striking out four batters.

Shayna Espy was a perfect 3-3 with an RBI and three runs scored. She had a double, a triple a homerun and was a single short of the cycle. Madi Young finished 2-3 with two RBI's and two runs scored. Young hit two homeruns finishing with three on the day. Ari Cordova came alive in game two hitting 3-4 with two doubles and two RBI's.

NEXT UP: Butler (9-2, 0-0) will open up KJCCC play on Thursday, March 11 as they play host to the Pratt Beavers (4-15, 0-0) at 2:00pm and 4:00pm at East Park in El Dorado, KS.