EL DORADO, Kan. – Butler baseball secured a home playoff series next week with a doubleheader sweep of the Cloud County Thunderbirds, winning 5-3 and 11-5 at McDonald Stadium on Friday afternoon.
The wins saw Butler (30-23, 19-11 KJCCC) secure at least a fourth-place finish and a home playoff series in next week's NJCAA Region VI playoffs. Cloud (36-18, 20-10) was swept in a doubleheader for just the second time this season.
The series shifts to Concordia on Saturday with a doubleheader from Lee Doyen Field getting underway at 1 p.m. to close the regular season out for both teams.
Game 1: Butler 5, Cloud County 3
The Grizzlies got a strong start on the mound from Caden Kickhaefer (W, 8-3) as he struck out a career-high tying 10 and walked one in 6.2 innings of work allowing three runs on nine hits.
Cloud struck first with a run in the first inning but were held off the scoreboard by Kickhaefer for the next five innings. They scratched across two runs in the seventh to pull within two at 5-3, and with two outs and two runners on, Grizzly closer Jack Haag was inserted. Haag struck out the first batter he saw to secure his seventh save of the season.
Butler was outhit 9-7 in the game but benefitted from six walks and two hit batters. Brock Toothaker was 3-3 at the plate for Butler, scoring a run. Triston Speaker and Cole Murrell each drove in two runs to lead the charge, with all four runs coming in the fourth. Speaker singled up the middle to break the 1-1 tie scoring Breon Horne and Toothaker. Murrell followed with a two-run double to right field that scored Taber Stokes and Anibal Rivera, putting Butler ahead 5-1.
Cloud starting pitcher Kevin Mannell (L, 7-2) went 3.1 innings allowing four runs (three earned, striking out four and walking four. The T-Birds were led offensively by Demitri Shakotko's two hits and three RBI.
Game 2: Butler 11, Cloud County 5
Game two saw another impressive starting pitching performance for the Grizzlies. Dayton Pelfrey (W, 5-1) threw 6.0 innings allowing one earned run on six hits, striking out two and walking just one. Austin Bagnall and Jeremy Bingesser each threw a scoreless inning in relief to help the Grizzlies grab the 11-5 win.
Butler plated three runs in the bottom of the first off one hit, one error and one walk. CJ Reid scored off a fielding error and Cole Murrell mashed his ninth home run of the season, a two-run shot to right center that scored Rivera.
Cloud answered with a run in the top of the second but Butler plated two more in the bottom half off a Jaron Brown sacrifice fly and Rivera RBI single, extending the lead to 5-1.
The Grizzlies got out to a 9-2 lead in the fifth and later 11-2 in the seventh before Cloud made it a bit closer with three runs in the eighth at 11-5.
Each team finished with nine hits but Butler utilized nine walks and two Cloud errors to generate offense.
Murrell finished 2-4 while Toothaker was 4-5 to run his tally in two games to 7-8 at the plate. He also scored three runs.
Cloud's TJ Coats (L, 7-3) took the loss allowing six runs (three earned) in 4.0 innings of action.
