CHICAGO – The Butler softball team took the opening game of a three-game BIG EAST series at DePaul, claiming the 12-3 victory in six innings. The Bulldogs (21-17, 12-7 BIG EAST) scored six in the first inning and never looked back as the Blue Demons (18-26, 6-13 BIG EAST) never drew any closer than three runs.
With two hits in the first two innings of the contest,
Cate Lehner set a new BIG EAST record with 131 career hits in conference competition. She surpassed Lexi Hastings (UConn, 2022-25) broke the record last season with 130. Lehner ended the day with three hits and now sits at 132.
The big first inning for Butler included five hits, a walk, and an error.
Kieli Ryan (3-4, 2RBI, R) had a two-RBI single, and
Kendall Graves (2-3, 2RBI, 2R) hit a two-run bomb over the wall in left-center field. In the bottom half, DePaul got a pair back with a two-RBI single.
The Blue Demons added one more in the third on a solo home run, closing the gap to three.
In the fourth, Lehner and
Hailey Conger reached safely. A
Makena Alexander sacrifice fly, followed by an
Olivia Robards sacrifice bunt, brought both base runners home. Butler's 8-3 lead held through the fifth.
In the sixth, Butler added four additional runs. With two runners already on,
Kayla Preiss launched a three-run long ball. Later, with the bases loaded,
Hailey Conger drew a walk to plate the twelfth and final run of the game.
Maren Berger (3-5) started in the circle for Butler and picked up the complete-game victory. In 6.0 innings, she allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits and three walks with three strikeouts.
Bulldog Bits
- The home run for Graves was her third this season and her first in BIG EAST competition.
- The home run for Preiss was her second this season and her first since the opening game of the season.
- The win in the circle for Berger was her third this season, and it was her first complete-game victory at Butler.
Up Next
Butler and DePaul are set for game two of the series tomorrow, Saturday, April 25, at 1 p.m. ET (noon CT).
