Bulldogs Fall Twice At Green Bay

GREEN BAY, WIS. -- Strong pitching and clutch hitting by the same player lifted host Green Bay to a doubleheader sweep of Butler in the first two games of a three-game Horizon League series at Ben Garot Field on Wednesday (May 5).  The Phoenix defeated Butler 5-2 in the opener and 2-1 in 10 innings in the nightcap.

Senior righthander Katie Cooney pitched two complete games and drove in a pair of runs to lead Green Bay (23-18, 8-11 Horizon League) to the two come-from-behind wins.  She limited the Bulldogs (35-16, 11-10 HL) to just two earned runs in 17 innings on the mound, and she led the Green Bay offense with four hits in the two contests.

Butler grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second inning of the opener on a walk to Jenny Esparza, a double to left-center field by Mallory Winters, a run-scoring infield grounder by Lauren Ott and a run-scoring single by Meaghan Sullivan.

But the Phoenix tied the game with two runs off of Esparza in third inning, and the home team took the lead for good with three more runs off the Butler starter in the fourth inning.  Cooney had a run-scoring single in the game-winning rally.

The Bulldogs also scored first in the second game, notching their lone run in the fifth inning.  A walk to senior Annie Dolan and an infield single by Erin Jackson set the stage for a two-out, run-scoring single by sophomore Erin Falkenberry.

Green Bay tied the game with a run off of Butler relief pitcher Jennifer Chasteen in the sixth inning, and Cooney drove in the game-winner with a single off of Esparza in the bottom of the 10th frame.

The two setbacks saddled Butler with a five-game losing skid, after the Bulldogs had won nine of their previous 12 contests.  Butler already has recorded a school-record 35 wins.

The Bulldogs will close out the regular season with a single game at Green Bay on Thursday, May 6.