Butler Drops Two Games At Miami (Ohio)

OXFORD, OHIO -- Butler ran into a pair of strong pitching performances and the Bulldogs wound up dropping a non-league doubleheader at Miami (Ohio) on Tuesday (April 19).  The host RedHawks captured the opener, 3-0, and then took the nightcap, 7-1.

Junior Jessica Simpson tossed a one-hitter to pace the Redhawks in the first game at the MU Softball Stadium.  She had 14 strikeouts and just one walk in the complete-game effort.  Butler’s Lauren McNulty broke up the no-hit bid with an infield single in the top of the sixth inning.

Miami scored all three runs on four hits and two errors in the bottom of the third inning off of Butler starter Leah Bry (0-4).

The Bulldogs (25-17) did come up with nine hits off of Miami starter Katie Osburn in the second game, but could only manage one unearned run in the contest.  Butler’s tally came in the third inning when Krista Hakola was hit by a pitch and Jessica Huey followed with a single to leftfield.  Both runners advanced on an error and then Hakola scored on Erin Jackson’s single to leftfield.

The RedHawks (21-17) jumped in front with five runs on five hits and two Butler errors in the first inning and then added single runs in the third and fourth frames.  Senior Jennifer Chasteen, who surrendered the first six runs, took the defeat and fell to 10-5 on the season.

Kayla Gray and Callie Dennison led Butler’s offense in the second game with two hits apiece.

Butler will return to Horizon League play with a three-game series against Youngstown State at the Butler Softball Diamond on Friday and Saturday, April 22-23.  The games on Friday, starting at 3 p.m., have been designated at NFCA Strikeout Cancer Day, while Saturday’s 10 a.m. contest will be Butler’s Alumni/Senior Day.