DODGE CITY, Kan. – Timely two out hitting and a stellar pitching performance from Cheyenne Handsaker helped the 1-seed Butler Grizzlies to a 5-0 Region VI semifinal win over 2-seed Hutchinson at Legends Park on Saturday afternoon.
Butler (47-8) advances to the championship game on Sunday at 2 p.m. as they take on the winner of the noon elimination game between Barton and Hutchinson. The Grizzlies need just one win to advance to the 2024 NJCAA Division 1 World Series.
Handsaker (W, 19-4) paved the way for Butler's win as she allowed just five Blue Dragon (43-10) hits across 7.0 innings, striking out five and walking none. It marked the third time this season that Hutchinson has been shut out. Handsaker has done it herself twice with the other coming on March 18th at East Park in an 8-0 Grizzly win.
All five of Butler's runs came with two outs. They got the scoring started in the bottom of the first when Cady Dickey hit a gap shot to left center that scored Claire Lopez. Aly Hageman followed in the next at bat with a double that just snuck fair past first base and down the right field line that scored Dickey. Hageman was 2-2 at the plate with a team-high three runs driven in. Dickey finished 2-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
The Grizzlies doubled their lead in the third as Hageman doubled down the left field line this time, plating Dickey and Kyrsten Moran to make it 4-0.
SB vs. Hutch | B3 | Region VI Tourney
— Butler Grizzlies (@ButlerGrizzlies) May 4, 2024
Aly Hageman doubles the Grizzlies lead with a two-run double down the LF line! Butler leads 4-0 heading to the top of the fourth#RoarGrizz�� pic.twitter.com/Nm2fgh0YRu
Hutch threatened with two runners on in both the fifth and sixth innings but Handsaker and the Grizzly defense were able to hold them away from home.
Butler's final run came in the fifth inning as Kory Schoenfeld's RBI single past the Blue Dragon third baseman scored Madison Nightingale, making it 5-0.
Hutchinson was led by Alexis Mastin's two hits. Morgan Tomlinson (L, 15-2) got the start in the cirle and allowed three earned runs across 2.2 innings before being replaced by Dakota Lake. Lake struck out six and walked four in 3.1 innings allowing a lone run on two hits.
The Grizzlies are now 23-0 in the Region VI Tournament since it started being held at Legends Park in Dodge City in 2018.
Postgame Thoughts: Cheyenne Handsaker/Head Coach Morgan Bohanan
Hear from @BUCOSoftball pitcher @CheyenneHandsa1 as she threw a 7 inning shutout in a 5-0 win over Hutchinson in the Region 6 semifinal
— Butler Grizzlies (@ButlerGrizzlies) May 5, 2024
The Blue Dragons have been shut out 3 times this season, 2 of them in Grizzly wins with Handsaker on the mound#RoarGrizz�� pic.twitter.com/AyqwJeXMc6
.@BUCOSoftball head coach @bohanan25 talks about Butler's 5-0 semifinal win over Hutch#RoarGrizz�� pic.twitter.com/I2BGMH946q
— Butler Grizzlies (@ButlerGrizzlies) May 5, 2024
