WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – Butler ended their spring break trip by playing a pair of games vs. Bucknell over the weekend followed by a single game vs. Illinois State. The Bison came away with two victories against BU with an 8-5 win over the 'Dawgs on Friday and a 7-5 win on Saturday. The Sunday game featured Butler taking down Illinois State in extra innings, 5-4.

Bucknell started fast in game one by jumping out to a 3-0 lead after the first inning. Butler chipped away at the deficit in the second with an RBI single from Garrett Christman, but the Bison would take full control moments later with a three run fourth followed by two more runs in the fifth.

Butler posted two runs in the seventh and two more runs in the ninth, but it wouldn't be enough as the Bison held on for the 8-5 victory.

Drew Small was once again the top performer for Butler as the lead-off man went 3-for-5 from the plate with two RBIs and one run scored. Mike Kseniak and Ryan Wojciechowski also recorded RBIs against the Bison.

Small got Butler going in the top of the seventh with a RBI double that scored Christman and moved Gehrig Parker to third. Kseniak followed in the lineup with a groundout to short that allowed Parker to run home.

Parker came back to record a triple during his next at-bat in the ninth inning. Small's third hit of the day followed as his RBI single kept Butler alive with comeback hopes.

After being hit by a pitch, Kseniak went to first, giving Butler two bases runners with just one out. A pitching change was made for Bucknell, but that didn't stop BU as Wojciechowski recorded an RBI single.

The game ended moments later however as Will Amador struck out during his pinch hit opportunity and Houston flied out to deep centerfield.

The second game between Butler and Bucknell was another close contest featuring 11 hits from the Bison and 12 from the Bulldogs.

Butler took last at-bats as the home team on Saturday, but it was a late rally from Bucknell that decided the outcome. The Bulldogs took a 5-3 lead into the final two innings of the game, but a three-run eighth followed by a single run in the ninth gave Bucknell the 7-5 come from behind win.

Butler was led by Quincy Quintero offensively as the designated hitter went 2-for-4 from the plate with two RBIs and two runs scored. Christman was also a key to the offensive production with two RBIs in the game.

BU started fast in this one, scoring four runs in the first three innings. Quintero sent two home in the bottom of the first with a single that scored Small and Houston. Michael Fries and Will Amador followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases and a walk would score the final run of the inning giving Butler the early advantage.

Quintero led off the third with a single to give Butler some momentum and a sacrifice bunt would move him into scoring position. Quintero would move to third off a double from Amador and score after a single from Christman.

Bucknell came alive to get on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth after a double from Wasikowski. Two more runs came in for the Bison in the top of the sixth with a two-run single from Korchak.

Butler seemed to be in a good spot after adding a single run in the sixth to cushion their lead, but the Bison scored three runs off three hits in the eighth to take the lead. Two singles led off the inning and a walk would quickly load the bases. A costly error followed for the fourth batter of the inning and a sac bunt would push the final run across. Peter Nyznyk kept the Bulldogs in the game as he appeared out of the pen to strand a runner on third. Nyznyk got back-to-back pop ups to get BU out of the inning.

A costly double play ended the eighth inning for Butler and Bucknell would add a run after a solo shot from Mayer. BU came up with a single hit in the bottom of the ninth, but they never threatened the lead as a fielder's choice ended the game.

Butler was able to put the two Bucknell losses behind them in order to record a win vs. Illinois State on Sunday. Kyle Allen ended up with the win on the mound to secure his first victory of the season. Nick Morton got the start and Luke Johnson also contributed with just over three innings of work.

The BU offense was led by second baseman Austin Miller who posted three RBIs at the bottom of the order off one big hit. Christman was 3-for-5 from the plate with an RBI and a run scored and Wojciechowski also added to the win with a 2-for-4 effort.

Illinois State took a 3-1 lead into the seventh inning, but that lead wouldn't last long as Miller sent a three-run home run over the wall in the seventh. Illinois State was able to force extra innings with a single run in the ninth, but the Bulldogs would not be denied as Christman came up with the game-winner in the bottom of the 10th allowing Houston to score.

The Bulldogs are now 4-14 overall heading into mid-March. The team will play at Marian on Tuesday before hosting a trio of games this weekend. Butler's true home opener will be played vs. Cleary on Friday at 3:30 p.m. Wabash will visit Bulldog Field on Saturday at 1 p.m. and the weekend will come to a close on Sunday with a single game vs. Indiana Tech at 1 p.m.