The chase for 10-straight KJCCC Div. I Championships began Thursday afternoon for the Butler Softball team who improved to 11-2 overall and 2-0 in KJCCC play after defeating the Pratt Beavers 18-2 and 10-0, both in five-inning run rules.
The Grizzlies have won the conference championship since the 2011 season and are bound and determined to make it 10-straight come May. They got off to a good start in their KJCCC opener with two solid wins over the Beavers.
Game one featured two high scoring innings as Butler plated six and seven runs in their first two innings at bat. They came up empty in the third, but RBI's from Sydney Adler and Gentry Shepherd followed by a Haley Garnett two run homerun would put the game away in favor of the Grizzlies who won 18-2.
Butler finished game one with 18 hits and had no strikeouts at the plate. Ari Cordova finished 2-3 with three RBI's and two runs scored and had a triple. Emily Adler was 2-3 with two runs scored hitting a double in the contest. Hallehannah Hale was also 2-3 with three RBI's and a double. Haley Garnett hit the games one homeruns in her only at bat in the game.
Izzy Erickson picked up win number seven on the season pitching three complete innings. She gave up one run, one hit, walked one and struck out four batters.
Game two saw the Grizzlies pick up where they left off in game one scoring quickly in each of the first two innings essentially putting the game away. Butler scored four in the first but really opened it up in the second plating six. The second inning began with a Tadum Soetaert solo homerun, her first of the season. Shayna Espy and Emily Adler would each have an RBI in the inning and then Brooke McCorkle sent one deep over the right center field fence scoring two. The next Butler batter Hannah Knox wanted to get in on the action as well and hit a solo homerun over center, her first of the year.
Butler would get two more runs in the game, both coming off solo homeruns. Madi Young hit her fifth of the season in the third inning and Brooke McCorkle hit her fifth of the year with another moon shot over right center.
Butler would pick up the sweep with the 12-2 run rule after five innings. Maddie Redman improved to 2-0 pitching three hitless innings facing 10 batters and striking out two. Kelcie Kippes and Brooke McCorkle would come in relief and keep the Beavers scoreless in the final two innings.
Madi Young and Hannah Know both went 2-2 in game two. Young had a triple and a stolen base while Knox finished with two RBI's and a homerun. Brooke McCorkle finished with two homeruns in the contest on 2-3 batting with three RBI's and three runs scored.
Butler did not have any strike outs in their 51 at bats in the double header. They finished with 30 total runs scored off 25 hits.
NEXT UP: Butler (11-2, 2-0) was scheduled to play Dodge City on Saturday, March 13 but due to the inclement weather, the double header has been moved to Tuesday, March 30th. They will host Northern Oklahoma College Tonkawa on Tuesday, March 16 at 2:00pm & 4:00pm at East Park in El Dorado, KS.
