ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Butler softball team won two more games at the Rosemont Dome Tournament, hosted by DePaul, extending its season-opening winning streak to 4-0. The Bulldogs defeated Detroit Mercy, 13-5, and Valpariso, 8-4.
The Titans (0-3, 0-0 Horizon) took an early 3-0 lead, but Butler took the lead in the third and never relinquished it. The Bulldogs and Beacons (0-1, 0-0 The Valley) were tied through three innings, but a huge fourth propelled Butler to victory.
Makena Alexander was 3-for-7 on the day with eight RBI off two home runs, including a grand slam. She has four home runs after four games this season.
Rylyn Dyer and
Katie Petran each picked up a win in the circle.
Game 3: Butler 13, Detroit Mercy 5 (5 innings)
After a scoreless first inning, Detroit Mercy put three across in the top of the second. The Dawgs responded when a
Paxton Law double sent
Olivia Moxley and
Alona Boydston home in the bottom half. The Titans led, 3-2, after two complete.
In the third,
Paige Dorsett (2-3, 2RBI) singled in
Hailey Conger and
Ella White, and Moxley (2-3, 2 RBI) singled in Dorsett.
Sydney Carter then hit an inside-the-park home run that also brought in Moxley. Butler took a 7-3 lead.
Detroit got two in the top of the fourth, decreasing the lead to two runs. In the bottom half, Makenna Alexander hit her third home run in the past two games. The three-run bomb, along with a subsequent RBI double from Moxley, put the Bulldogs up, 11-5.
The next inning, with runners on second and third, White hit an infield single that pushed
Cate Lehner across. Two batters later, with the bases loaded, Dorsett hit a sacrifice fly to center field to end the game in five innings.
Rylyn Dyer (2-0) started in the circle for Butler and picked up the win. In 3.0 innings, she allowed three runs on five hits and two walks with one strikeout.
Kayla Noerr (2.0 IP, 3H, 2R) provided relief in the fourth and fifth innings.
Game 4: Butler 8, Valparaiso 4 (7 innings)
In the top of the first inning,
Makena Alexander (2-4, HR, 5 RBI) singled in
Hailey Conger to give Butler an early lead. Valparaiso answered with its own run in the bottom half, and the game was tied, 1-1, through three.
In the fourth, a
Sydney Carter single knocked in
Olivia Roberts. The Bulldogs picked up two runs on bases-loaded walks, before Alexander cleared the bases with a grand slam home run. Butler's 8-1 lead was reduced to five runs when the Beacons plated two in the bottom half of the inning.
The 8-3 lead held until the bottom of the seventh inning. Valparaiso scored one on a single, and had runners on first and third with only one out, but the next two batters struck out looking.
Katie Petran (1-0) started in the circle and earned her first win of the season. In 5.0 innings, she allowed three runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out three.
Gwen Baker (2.0 IP, 1R, 4H, 3K) finished off the final two innings.
Bulldog Bits
- Makena Alexander hit her third and fourth home runs in the past three games. With four this season, she now has seven in her career.
- Sydney Carter's home run was a career first.
- Kieli Ryan's triple was a career first.
- Rylyn Dyer's win in the circle vs. Detroit Mercy was her second of the season and the eighth in her career.
- Katie Petran's win vs. Valparaiso was her first of the season and the 16th of her career.
- The last time Butler began the season with four straight wins was in 2003. The Bulldogs started off the 1990 season with eight straight wins.
Up Next
Butler remains in Rosemont, Illinois, for its final game at the Rosemont Dome Tournament on Sunday, Feb. 9. The Bulldogs will play Western Illinois at 12:30 pm ET (11:30 am CT).
