No. 14 Softball Goes 4-0 in Texas To Open Season

DENISON, Texas – The 14th ranked Butler softball squad opened its season in Denison, Texas, as part of the Collegiate Winter Blast at Texoma Health Foundation Park on Friday and Saturday.

Butler went 4-0 on the weekend winning two games each on Friday and Saturday.

Freshman catcher/infielder Jenna Jobe ended the weekend leading the Grizzlies hitting 8-16 with nine RBI, two doubles and two home runs. Sophomore infielder Claire Lopez also finished 8-16 at the plate with a .579 on-base percentage across four games. Sophomore infielder Kim Yepez ripped three home runs totaling eight RBI and hitting 5-13.

Sophomore pitcher Addy Ewing threw the most innings (9.2) despite not making a start. She allowed six earned runs on 12 hits striking out seven. Sophomore Chloe Odle made two starts leading the team with seven strike outs in 7.2 innings pitched.

Game 1: No. 14 Butler 11, NOC-Enid 0

Butler won its first game of the season tallying 11 runs on 10 hits taking down Enid 11-0. The Grizzlies plated a run each in the first and second innings taking a 2-0 lead. They broke the game open in the fifth with a five spot and added four runs in the seventh inning.

Chloe Odle (W, 1-0) tossed 6.0 scoreless innings striking out seven and walking one on two hits. Audry Rumsey pitched the seventh striking out two and walking two.

Kyrsten Moran finished 3-4 with two runs scored. Jenna Jobe drove in three runs going 2-5 hitting a home run. Claire Lopez was 2-4 with two RBI while Kylie Forney hit a two-run home run. Chloe Cardona finished with four walks.

Game 2: No. 14 Butler 5, Seminole State 3

Game two proved to be a low scoring affair as Butler slipped by the Trojans 5-3. Seminole struck first with a run in the top of the first but the Grizzlies countered with three runs in the bottom of the first. Butler then added two runs in the second inning to lead 5-1. The Trojans plated a run in the third and sixth but 5-3 was the closest they got.

Once again, Jobe led the Butler offense as she drove in three runs going 2-3. Cardona and Kory Schoenfeld finished 2-3.

Emillee Stofferahn (W, 1-0) got the start and went 4.0 innings allowing a lone earned run on nine hits. She struck out three and walked none. Addy Ewing earned the save tossing the final 3.0 innings allowing no earned runs on four hits striking out two.  

Game 3: No. 14 Butler 14, No. 16 Paris 12

Butler used five seventh inning runs to complete a wild comeback as they defeated 16th ranked Paris 14-12.

The Grizzlies saw Paris jump out to a 5-0 lead with five runs in the bottom of the first. Butler plated two in the second but again Paris scored multiple in the second taking an 8-2 lead. Entering the seventh the Grizzlies trailed 12-9 but five runs later they held a 14-12 lead, their first of the game. Ellie Randall held Paris off the board in the bottom of the seventh to help complete the comeback.

Randall (W, 1-0) threw the final 4.1 innings allowing two earned runs, striking out three and walking four. The Grizzlies used four pitchers in the game.

Five Grizzlies had multi-hit games with Kim Yepez hitting two home runs driving in six runs. Jobe and Karson Holson added home runs of their own with Jobe finishing 3-3 with three RBI.

Game 4: No. 14 Butler 6, Vernon College 4

A four run first inning helped power the Grizzlies to a 6-4 win to complete the Texas trip.

Ewing (W, 1-0) threw the middle 5.1 innings striking out four on four hits, allowing two runs. Odle tossed the final 1.1 innings allowing no hits or runs.

Yepez hit her third home run of the weekend driving in two runs on two hits. Cardona added two RBI while Holson was 2-3 with two RBI.

Vernon threatened late with two runs in the sixth to make it 6-4 but the Grizzlies used a

Next Up:

Butler hosts Crowder in its home opener on Feb. 24th with first pitch set for 1 p.m. CT.