Grizzlies Split With Crowder on the Road

NEOSHO, Mo. – No. 14-ranked Butler softball came away with a doubleheader split at Roughrider Softball Field with a Crowder College squad that is receiving votes in the NJCAA poll on Monday.

Butler (10-2) took its second loss of the season and first shutout in the first game, falling 5-0. The Grizzlies came back and topped Crowder (13-5) 10-5 in the second game to force the split.

Butler is now set for its home opener on Thursday afternoon as they host KJCCC rival Barton at East Park with game one of the doubleheader set for 1 p.m.

Game 1: Crowder 5, Butler 0

Crowder pitcher Jensyn Elder, fresh off pitching a perfect game in a win over NOC-Tonkawa, shut the Grizzlies out, throwing all 7.0 innings. Elder struck out 13 and walked just two. She allowed seven hits but the Butler bats stranded eight runners, never able to get on the board.

Chloe Odle (L, 3-2) was saddled with the loss as she got the start and went 2.2 innings, allowing four runs on six hits, walking three and striking out one.

Crowder seized a 4-0 lead in the third inning, hitting two home runs.

Claire Lopez and JaKeyla McDaniel paced Butler with two hits each. Aly Hageman had a hit and two walks.

Butler's first two batters reached base in the fourth inning but were unable to score.

Game 2: Butler 10, Crowder 5

Butler bounced back in game two with an impressive 10-5 win. They finished with 16 hits and scored eight runs across the first three innings, building an 8-0 lead out the gate.

Kim Yepez drove in four runs and set the tone immediately, blasting a three-run home run to elft field in the first inning.

Kyrsten Moran hit a bases clearing triple in the third, scoring three runs and putting Butler ahead 8-0.

Hageman slugged a solo home run over the center field wall in the sixth, her fourth of the season, to put Butler up 9-2.

Moran finished with three hits, Cady Dickey had two hits and a walk and Caylee Mann had three hits and two RBI.