LEESBURG, Fla. – The Butler softball team picked up a 2-1 win over South Alabama and followed that up with a 5-0 shutout of Monmouth (N.J.) on Saturday near Orlando. The Bulldogs (7-3) never trailed the Jaguars (1-7), conceding only a solo home run in the sixth inning. Against the Hawks (1-2) in game two,
Karli Ricketts threw a shutout, limiting Monmouth to only two hits.
Game 1: Butler- 2, South Alabama- 1 (7 innings)
In the third inning,
Monique Hoosen (1-3),
Bri Avery (1-2), and
Lauren Fey (1-3) singled to load the bases.
Ellie Boyer (RBI) then hit a long foul ball to right field that was caught, but all the runners advanced, putting Butler up, 1-0. Two batters later, Avery scored a second run on a wild pitch. South Alabama hit a home run in the sixth but was never able to tie the score.
Alyssa Graves (1-1) pitched all seven innings for Butler and picked up the win. She allowed seven hits and the one earned run, along with one walk, while striking out five.
Game 2: Monmouth (N.J.)- 0, Butler- 5 (7 innings)
Butler loaded the bases in the first and second innings, but after four complete it was still a scoreless game. In the fifth, doubles by
Ellie Boyer (2-3, 2B) and
Monique Hoosen (1-3, RBI, 2B) and a single by
Mackenzie Griman (2-4, 2 RBI) produced a 2-0 lead. In the sixth,
Gracie Voulgaris (3-3, 2B) started a rally that included singles from
Bri Avery, Boyer, and Griman and sent three more Bulldogs across the plate. Lauren Fay was 2-for-3 at the plate and stole one base.
Karli Ricketts (4-1) threw the complete-game shutout for Butler. She allowed only two hits and one walk while striking out six.
Bulldog Bits
- The win for Alyssa Graves was her 28th as a Bulldog, moving into a tie for eighth on Butler's all-time list for career wins. She is tied with Breanna Fisher (2009-2012).
- With six strikeouts, Karli Ricketts now has 355 for her career and has moved into the seventh position on Butler's all-time list. She would need 11 more to move into a tie with Breanna Fisher (2009-2012) in the sixth spot.
- Ricketts' shutout against Monmouth was the Bulldogs' fourth shutout of the season.
Up Next
Butler remains in Leesburg, Fla., for one more game on Sunday, February 20. The Bulldogs will face Bethune-Cookman at 9 am.
