BEVAN HOMERS TWICE; DRAGONS FALL TWICE AT BUTLER
Hutchinson CC Sports Information
EL DORADO – Natalie Bevan homered twice, while Madison Grimes and Easton Head each added round-trippers, but the No. 3-ranked Butler Grizzlies had too much firepower for the Hutchinson Community College softball team on Monday at East Park.
The Grizzlies defeated the Blue Dragons 7-5 and 12-4 in six innings in a battle of the top two teams in the Jayhawk East on Monday in a doubleheader makeup from Saturday.
The Blue Dragons are now 25-15 overall and 15-9 in the Jayhawk East. The Grizzlies won their 32nd and 33rd games in a row and improved to 37-2 overall and 22-0 in league play. The Blue Dragons close out the regular season on Saturday with the Pratt Beavers at Fun Valley.
Bevan had a big day going a combined 3 for 6 with two home runs and four RBIs to lead the Blue Dragons. Bevan hit her seventh and eight home runs of the season. In addition to Bevan, Grimes belted her team-high 11th home run of the season in Game 1 and Head hit her fifth of the season in the second game.
Butler hit four home runs as well and Shayna Espy and Emily Adler combined for nine RBIs to lead the Grizzlies offensively.
GAME 1 RECAP
Tied at 3-all after three innings, but Grizzlies erupted for four runs in the fourth to take a 7-3 lead. The Dragons battled back to within two runs with a Grimes' home run and a Kylee Dunn since that plated Bevan to cut the Dragon deficit to 7-5.
The Blue Dragons couldn't complete the comeback. All Hutchinson got in the final two innings off Butler pitcher Maddie Redman was a Haley Miller bunt single in the sixth.
The Blue Dragons took a 2-0 lead when Lexi Williams scored on the back end of a double steal with Grimes, who later scored on a Bevan groundout. Then tied at 2 in the third, Bevan homered to center for a 3-2 lead.
Bevan and Miller had two hits each to lead a nine-hit Blue Dragon attack.
Bevan was 2 for 4 with a homer and two RBIs. She scored two runs. Miller was 2 for 4. Head had a double in the opening game. Grimes homered. She and Dunn had the other RBIs in Game 1.
Catcher Lexi Williams had two stolen bases in the first game. Williams now has 48 steals for the season and 77 for her career.
Pitcher Jordan Galliher (11-4) took the loss in the circle for Hutchinson.
GAME 2 RECAP
Falling behind 9-0 after three innings, the Blue Dragons tried to mount a comeback.
After a Grimes' single, Bevan hit her second home run of the day in the fourth to cut the Butler lead to 9-2. Grimes singled again to start the sixth and scored on Head's two-run homer with two out to trim the Butler lead to 9-4.
The Grizzlies hit a pair of home runs in their three-run sixth to end the game by run rule.
Grimes raised her Jayhawk Conference-leading batting average to .577 going 3 for 3 in Game 2 and 4 for 6 in the doubleheader. Grimes had a double in Game 2 and scored two runs.
Bevan and Head each drove in two with their home runs. The Dragons were out-hit 10-8 in the second game.
Sadie Loney (4-1) suffered her first loss in the pitching circle this season.