Butler sweeps Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa in home opener

The Butler softball team found the same success at home that it has enjoyed on the road this season, sweeping a doubleheader in the home opener on Tuesday afternoon at East Park.

The Grizzlies are now 11-0 on the season after beating Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa twice on Tuesday. The Grizzlies won the first game 9-2 and then won the second game 10-0 in six innings due to run rule.

Butler will likely face some of its toughest competition of the season this weekend when the Grizzlies play in the Temple Tournament on Friday and Saturday in Texas. The Grizzlies then return home for doubleheaders on Tuesday and Thursday of next week.

Butler 9, Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa 2

Butler pitcher Maggie Ham struck out 17 batters in six innings in the first game, striking out the side in each of the first five innings. Ham did allow two runs, one on back-to-back doubles in the third inning and another on a solo home run in the sixth, but was otherwise untouchable. The only out that wasn't a strikeout was a groundout back to the pitcher. 

Meanwhile, Butler's offense got off to a quick start, as Sydney Stuever reached on an error and scored on a two-run home run by Kaitlyn Wolken to right field. 

Butler added another run in the bottom of the second when Stuever singled up the middle to drive in Dominica O'Nelio, making it a 3-0 game.

The Grizzlies would go two innings without scoring and Butler's lead was trimmed to 3-1. But in the fifth inning, Butler got four runs to put the game away. One run scored on a wild pitch, then Ashley Malone singled to drive in a run and pinch-hitter Mac Millspaugh doubled down the left field line to drive in the other two runs.

Malone would drive in another run in the bottom of the sixth and Ashton Atwell drew a bases-loaded walk to drive in Butler's final run of the game.

In the game, Kaitlyn Wolken was 3-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored and two driven in. Malone was 3-for-4 with two runs driven in for the Grizzlies.

Ham gets the win in the circle, improving her record to 5-0 on the season. She now has 61 strikeouts in 30 innings of work.

Butler 10, Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa 0 (six innings)

Butler got another solid pitching performance, this time from Mac Millspaugh as she struck out five and allowed only three hits in her first complete-game shutout of the season. She improves to 3-0 on the season.

Offensively, Butler started slowly against Northern pitcher Abbea Porter. Butler didn't score until the third inning, but got three runs that inning including a two-run double by Ashley Malone. Butler added one more run in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Rachel Harper.

The Grizzlies then put up six runs in the sixth inning to end the game. Caitlin Coody scored on a passed ball, then Alyson Bressie drove in a run with an infield single. Kelsey Berlin scored when Kate James reached on an error.

The big blast again was delivered by Ashley Malone, as she crushed a three-run home run to left field to end the game early by run-rule.