SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The Butler softball team lost to Seton Hall in extra innings on Sunday but walked away with a 2-1 advantage in its final BIG EAST series of the season. The Bulldogs (25-20, 14-10 BIG EAST) held the lead, briefly, in the fifth inning and later scored a run to tie the game in the seventh, but the Pirates (28-20, 11-10 BIG EAST) were able to load the bases in the eighth and walk off with a game-winning single.
During the game,
Cate Lehner broke the BIG EAST single-season record for in-conference hits, which now stands at 43.
With the two wins this weekend, Butler has cemented a spot in the postseason BIG EAST Tournament.
Game 3: Seton Hall 6, Butler 5 (8 innings)
In the top of the third inning, with runners on second and third,
Hailey Conger doubled to right-center field and gave Butler a 2-0 lead.
One inning later, Seton Hall hit a two-run home run, tying the game and forcing a pitching change. The Pirates then tacked on one more and led, 3-2, after four complete.
In the fifth, a single from
Cate Lehner and back-to-back doubles by Conger and
Ella White put the Dawgs back in the lead, 4-3. In the bottom half, a Seton Hall RBI-double tied the game again, at 4-4.
Seton Hall used a sacrifice fly in the sixth to plate one and re-gain a one-run lead.
In the seventh, Butler advance runners to second and third with only one out. A sacrifice fly to center by
Olivia Moxley tied the game, again, at 5-5. In the bottom half, the Pirates loaded the bases with one out but could not score.
In the first extra inning, Seton Hall loaded the bases with one out and produced a walk-off victory off the left-field wall.
Katie Petran (3.0 IP, 2R, 3H, BB) started in the circle for Butler and lasted into the fourth.
Rylyn Dyer (7-8) provided relief and finished the game, taking the loss. In 4.1 innings, she allowed four runs (2 earned) on nine hits and three walks.
Bulldog Bits
- With four hits in the game, Cate Lehner broke the BIG EAST single-season record which was previously 41 in-conference hits. Lehner finished conference play and set a new mark with 43 total hits.
- Ella White's fifth-inning RBI gives her 140 in her career and ties her with Erin Fulkenberry ('09-'12) for the most in Butler program history. Her two doubles give her eight this season and 42 for her career.
- Hailey Conger's pair of doubles give her seven this season and 12 in her career.
Up Next
Butler is scheduled to host IU Indy in its final game of the regular season on Tuesday, April 29. The Bulldogs will then have a week off prior to the BIG EAST Tournament which begins Wednesday, May 7.
