Grizzlies and Hawks Split at Circle High School

TOWANDA, Kan. – The Butler Community College baseball team split a doubleheader with the Northeast Community College Hawks on Monday afternoon at Circle High School. Butler won game one 9-8 before falling 3-2 in the second game. Both games were scheduled seven innings.

In what was supposed to be the Grizzlies home opener on Friday, the games were pushed back due to inclement weather and with the McDonald Stadium outfield grass still unable to be played on, the teams moved locations to Circle to play the first two games of the four-game series.

Butler (4-2) walked the Hawks (4-5) off in game one as freshman shortstop Brady Todd delivered an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, scoring Amarion Sailer as the Grizzlies pulled out the 9-8 win. The second inning saw the Grizzlies face a 3-0 hole but they responded with five runs, sophomore Breck Romero launched a three-run home run and freshman Jackson Ellison blasted a two-run shot to put Butler ahead 5-3. Northeast used five runs of their own in the fifth to pull ahead 8-6 but the Grizzlies scored three unanswered over the final three innings to secure the win. Kale Jensen and Edgar Hernandez each drove in two runs for the Hawks while both teams hit two home runs in the game. Van Haneberg (W, 1-0) earned the win on the mound tossing 2.1 scoreless innings.

Game two proved to be a low scoring affair with the Grizzlies falling 3-1, managing just four hits in the game. Butler's lone run was the first of the game as a throwing error sent freshman Brandt Beeby home from third to make it 1-0. Northeast used a solo home run from Kale Jensen in the sixth to tie it 1-1 and a pair of runs in the top of the seventh off a wild pitch and an RBI single from Kellen Fries to steal game two. Northeast outhit Butler 9-4 in the game. Starting pitcher Shane Holman (L, 0-1) was tagged with the loss despite the solid start.

TOP PERFORMERS GAME 1:

Jackson Ellison (Wichita, KS): 2-3, 2 RBI, HR, 2B, BB

Breck Romero (Montgomery, TX): 1-4, 3 RBI, HR

Zach Murkin (Lee's Summit, MO): 4.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 8 K, 4 BB

Amarion Sailer (Rapid City, SD): 4 SB, 2 R, 2 BB

TOP PERFORMERS GAME 2:

Cooper Rasmussen (Temecula, CA): 2-3

Brandt Beeby (Tulsa, OK): 1-2, 1 R, SB, BB

Shane Holman (Wichita, KS): 5.0 IP, 1 R, 6 K, 0 BB, 7 H

UP NEXT:

The Grizzlies and Hawks will conclude the series on Tuesday afternoon from McDonald Stadium with first pitch of the doubleheader coming at noon.