Story by Wyatt Ebersole

The Butler Baseball team picked up two big wins on Saturday afternoon against the Cloud T-Birds, winning 10-4 in game one and 9-8 in game two. The wins improve the Grizzlies to 18-10 overall and 5-3 in conference play. The pair of losses for Cloud drops them to 15-13 overall and 6-6 in conference play. The T-Birds have also lost six of their last ten games.

Game 1

The T-Birds got on the board first, capitalizing on a Grizzly fielding error to score two runs in the top of the first. Hayden Dyer gave the Grizzlies a run back in the bottom half with a rocket double down left field line to make it 2-1 T-Birds after one inning. After a quick next half inning for the T-Birds, the Grizzlies roared in front in their half of the second, scoring four runs to go up 5-2 early on Cloud County. The Birds got one run closer in the top of the third, but the Grizzlies answered back, scoring a run on a sacrifice fly courtesy of Justin Hudson. The fourth inning saw plenty of action in both halves. Cloud put together a two out rally and seemed to score a run on a close play at third base, but the runner was called out and a different Cloud player was ejected soon after. The Grizzlies got on the board quickly in their half of the fourth courtesy of a Brock Toothaker home run to go up 8-3 after four innings. After another quiet half inning for T-Birds, Frank Garcia found his third RBI of game one with a double to center field and then Toothaker drove in Garcia with a double to left to make it 10-3 Grizzlies after five innings. Dylan Rinker managed to close out the final two innings, allowing just one run in that stretch to give the Grizzlies the 10-4 win in game one on the day and in game three of the four game series. 

Frank Garcia had an excellent game at the plate going 2-2 with a double and three RBIs. Brock Toothaker went 2-3 with three RBIs, highlighted by his solo home run.  

Game 2 

Offense was hard to come by early in game two as the teams went scoreless through the first three innings. Cloud County changed that in the top of the fourth as they exploded for a big six-run fourth with all six runs scoring with two outs in the inning. The Grizzlies responded. Brock Kuehler hit a monster, three-run blast to left to make it 6-3 through four. After Tyler Leachner set the Birds down, Brock Toothaker hit a two-RBI single to right to make it 6-5, and then Cole Murrell launched a missile over the wall in right-center field to give the Grizzlies and 8-6 lead. Josh Holmes came across the plate on a wild pitch in the sixth to make 9-6 Grizzlies. The T-Birds made it a two-run game in their half of the seventh with a solo homer to left and seemed destined to cut further into the lead after walking the bases loaded, but Garrett Fager came out of the bullpen, collecting the final out to keep the Grizzlies up by two runs at 9-7 heading into the eighth. The T-Birds again found a run in the eighth, now making it a one run game, but Blake Werry entered with one out and the bases loaded, and the freshman managed to collect the final two outs to keep the Grizzlies in front. Werry delivered again in the ninth inning, setting down the T-Birds to earn the save and give the Grizzlies the win.

Tyler Leachner was credited with the win in game two, his first of the season. 

The Grizzlies went just 7-30 at the plate in game two and no player recorded more than one hit, but it was enough for the Grizzlies to pick up the much-needed win.

The Grizzlies have now won ten of their last eleven games and the Grizzlies are now in second place in the Jayhawk West, only trailing Barton. 

Next week's series will be against the Hutchinson Blue Dragons. The series starts in El Dorado on Thursday at 1 and 3 PM and will finish in Hutch on Saturday at 1 and 3 PM