Grizzly Softball Splits a Pair on Opening Day of Region 6 Tournament

DODGE CITY, Kan. – If Butler softball plans on making a deep run in the 2025 Region 6 Tournament, they'll have to do it out of the bottom of the bracket.

The top seeded Grizzlies (39-7) won their opening round game over eight-seed Pratt, 14-2, in a five inning run rule before losing 4-2 to four-seed Garden City in the nightcap at Legends Park.

The loss for the Grizzlies snapped a 15-game win streak. It marks the first time they have dropped a game on the opening day of the tournament since they fell 5-4 to Barton in the opening game of the 2015 tournament.

Butler will play Colby in an elimination game at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Garden City and Barton will face off in the winners bracket final at 4 p.m. while the winner of Butler/Colby advances to play the winner of Hutchinson/Dodge City in another elimination game at 6 p.m.

Butler 14, Pratt 2 (F/5)

The Grizzlies wasted no time in game one of the day, posting five first inning runs taking on Pratt. The Beavers threatened with the bases loaded in the top of the first but Butler starter Maggie Grant (W, 2-0) got a strikeout looking to end the frame. Kylie Forney and Kyler Demel each drove in two runs in the Grizzlies first time up.

Pratt plated its lone runs of the game in the second inning to make it a 5-2 ballgame but the Grizzlies pulled away with two runs in the second and six more in the third.

Kory Schoenfeld led Butler with four runs driven in going 2-2 at the plate with two, two run doubles. Claire Lopez, Kyrsten Moran, Forney and Schoenfeld each posted two hits with Lopez and Moran each stealing a pair of bases. Grant threw a complete game, the second of her career, allowing the two runs on five hits, striking out two and walking two.

Garden City 4, Butler 2 (F/7)

Game two saw Butler never hold a lead despite Garden City not producing a hit until the sixth inning. The Broncbusters took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on an RBI groundout from Mara Vonk. The Grizzlies tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth on a Lopez RBI single but the tie was short lived as Garden City used two singles in the sixth to build a 4-1 advantage. Butler got a run back in the bottom of the sixth off a Broncbuster error that scored Elisabeth Nobert making it 4-2. The Grizzlies then got a lone baserunner with two outs in the seventh but a fly out ended the game.

Butler's Ellie Randall (L, 14-2) threw all 7.0 innings allowing four runs on two hits, striking out two and walking three. In both innings that Garden City plated a run, their leadoff batter walked.

Garden City starting pitcher Yina Ballesta Vargas (W, 16-8) threw a complete game allowing one earned run on four hits, striking out four and walking two. Vonk drove in a game-high three runs.

Lopez had three of Butler's four hits, stole three bases and drove in one of the two runs in the game. Butler's two runs was the fewest they have scored all season.