CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The Butler softball team picked up its first win of the 2026 season as it split a pair of games on the second day of the Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic hosted by Northern Iowa. In the afternoon game, the Bulldogs defeated Kansas City, 7-1, in a rematch from the previous day. In the nightcap, Butler held an 11-2 lead after three complete innings, but the host school scored 13 runs over the next three innings and took the win by the final score of 15-11.
Butler's
Makena Alexander went five-for-eight over the two games, using two home runs and a pair of doubles on the way to seven total RBIs.
Game 3: Butler 7, Kansas City 1 (7 innings)
In the top of the first inning, after a
Cate Lehner (2-4, 2SB) single,
Hailey Conger (2-4, 2R, 2RBI, HR) hit the second home run of her career. Two batters later, Alexander (2-4, 3RBI, HR) sent another one over the fence, giving Butler a 3-0 lead. Kansas City answered with one run in the bottom half, and the Dawgs' lead was two.
In the third, Butler used four straight singles and took advantage of two errors to build its lead to 7-1.
In the final inning, Kansas City put two runners on but could not score.
Alyx Johnson (1R, 3H, 2BB, 2K) made her first appearance and start in the circle for Butler and lasted through three innings.
Kate Murray entered in the fourth inning, finished the game, and picked up the first win of her career. In 3.1 innings, she kept Kansas City off the board, allowing just one hit with four walks and one strikeout.
Rylyn Dyer (0.2IP, 1H) provided brief relief in the seventh, entering with one out and one runner on and closing out the game.
Game 4: Northern Iowa 15, Butler 11 (7 innings)
Four consecutive first-inning hits that included three doubles and a single gave Butler an early, 3-0, lead. UNI responded in the bottom half with a solo home run to cut the Bulldogs' lead to two runs.
In the second, with
Olivia Roberts (2-3, 2R, 2RBI) and Conger already on base, Alexander (3-4, 2R, 4RBI, HR, 2-2B) launched a three-run bomb over the center field fence. Butler's lead was 6-1.
One inning later, the Bulldogs scored five more runs on three hits and a pair of errors. UNI responded with a second solo home run, but Butler held an 11-2 lead going into the fourth.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Panthers exploded for eight runs on six hits that included a solo home run. When the dust settled, the Bulldogs, who made two pitching changes before the side was retired, held on to a one-run lead, 11-10.
One inning later, UNI tied the game with an RBI double and then took the lead, 12-11, on an RBI single.
In the sixth, the Panthers added three more runs, extending the lead to 15-11.
Katie Petran (3.0IP, 4R, 4H, 5BB, 6K) made the first pitch for the Bulldogs and lasted into the fourth inning.
Maren Berger (0.2IP, 6R, 4H, 3BB) faced nine batters in the fourth and was replaced by Dyer, who entered with two outs and one runner on base. Dyer (0-1) finished the game and took the loss. In 2.1 innings, she allowed five runs (two earned) on six hits and four walks.
Bulldog Bits
- Makena Alexander's two home runs, one vs. Kansas City and one vs. UNI, were her first two this season. She now has 14 in her career.
- Hailey Conger's home run vs. Kansas City was her first this season and the second of her career.
- The win for freshman Kate Murray vs. Kansas City was the first of her collegiate career.
- Freshman Alyx Johnson made her first collegiate appearance and start in the circle vs. Kansas City.
Up Next
Butler remains in Cedar Falls, Iowa, for its final game at the UNI-Dome Classic on Sunday, Feb. 8. The Bulldogs will play Iowa State at 11 a.m. EST (10 a.m. CST).
