The Butler baseball team won three of four games from Dodge City at McDonald Stadium in a series interrupted by two days due to violent thunderstorms in El Dorado on Saturday night.
On Saturday afternoon, Butler swept a doubleheader with a 4-0 win in the first game and an 8-7 victory in the second game. After the storms, the series was moved to Tuesday evening. Butler won the first game 4-3 but lost the series finale by a 13-5 score.
Butler improves to 22-21 on the season and is now 13-11 in Jayhawk West Conference play. The Grizzlies will play Coffeyville Wednesday night in the annual Pack the Mac promotion.
GAME 1
Dakota McKaskle threw his fifth complete game of the season with his third shutout in Butler's 4-0 win. The sophomore from Fletcher, Okla. struck out three while scattering six Dodge City hits over seven innings. He improved to 6-2 on the season.
Offensive, Butler got two runs in the third inning Tory Bell drew a bases loaded walk to force in a run. Then Ross Cunningham singled to right field to drive in another run.
Butler scored two more in the fifth when a single by Levi Parker drove in Brayon Colley, who had led off the inning with a triple to right field. Later in the inning, Gus Strunk had an RBI groundout to shortstop as Parker came in to score.
Levi Parker was 3-4 in the game, while Ross Cunningham and Brayon Colley each went 2-3 at the plate for the Grizzlies. Colley had the only two extra-base hits in the game with a double and a triple.
GAME 2
Butler's starting pitcher Travis Hendry pitched well for the first five innings, striking out seven Conquistadors and allowing just one run as the Grizzlies led 2-1. But Hendry fatigued in the sixth inning and Dodge City took advantage, scoring six runs to lead 8-7.
Butler would answer with one run in the sixth, three runs in the seventh and two in the eighth to come from behind for the win.
Tory Bell and Gabe Cook hit solo home runs for the Grizzlies, while Cooper Biggers drove in two runs. Ross Cunningham drove in the game-winning run in the eighth, pushing two runs across the plate with a his second double of the game.
Reliever Nathan Briar threw three scoreless innings in relief to get the win, allowing just one hit. He improves his season record to 3-2 with the win.
GAME 3
Butler fell behind early as Dodge City scratched across two runs in the first inning against Butler starter Taylor Berthusen. The sophomore from Shawnee Mission, Kan. would settle in after that, throwing five straight scoreless innings and striking out five.
The Butler offense didn't get rolling until the fourth inning when the Grizzlies finally chased Dodge City starter Cody Voelker from the mound. In that inning, Gabe Cook led off with a double and scored on a single by Christian Locke. Levi Parker would later single to score Locke and the Parker scored two batters later when Tory Bell doubled to center field to put Butler up 3-2.
The Grizzlies got a much-needed insurance run in the bottom of the sixth when Levi Parker singled, stole second and third and came home on an errant pickoff attempt.
In the top of the seventh. Nate Briar came on to close out the game, but was injured when fielding a bunt. Dodge City would score one run and then loaded the bases with one out, but reliever Gus Strunk got two outs without a run scoring to finish the game.
Berthusen earned the win to improve to 4-5 on the season. Strunk earned the save, his fourth of the season.
Levi Parker was 3-3 at the plate, scoring two runs and driving in a run.
GAME 4
Dodge City took control of the series finale by scoring one run in the first inning and four runs in the second inning against starter Gabe Cook.
Scott Paramore would come in and throw four scoreless innings in relief and the Grizzlies scored three runs to get back in the game, trailing 5-3. Paramore, however, would allow four runs in the seventh inning before being relieved by Robert Calvano and the Grizzlies could not get back in the game.
Offensively, Ross Cunningham was 2-4. Aaron Malone and Gus Strunk had Butler's only RBIs in the game.
