Butler finishes in final four at national championship

ST GEORGE, Utah – The Butler softball team capped the most successful season in program history by reaching the final four of the NJCAA Division I National Tournament for the first time ever on Friday at the Canyons Complex.

The Grizzlies would see their season end in the national semifinals with a 6-3 loss to Pima (Ariz.), but not before Butler had beaten Northeastern Oklahome A&M 5-2 to avenge a loss earlier this season and then edged Chipola (Fla.) 4-3 to reach the final four.

Butler finishes the season with a 54-4 record, setting program records for both most wins and fewest losses in a season. The Grizzlies were Jayhawk West and Region VI champions for the third straight season and also claimed the District E title to qualify for nationals.

Butler also established the program record for most wins in the national tournament, going 4-2. No other Butler team had ever won more than a single game at nationals

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Pima (Ariz.) 6, Butler 3

No. 5-seed Pima eliminated the top-overall seed and the national #1 Butler with a 6-3 victory to advance to the consolation bracket. Pima (50-18) will square off with No. 2-seed Salt Lake (UT) Saturday morning at 10 a.m. (for the right to advance to play eighth seeded Wallace State (AL) for the NJCAA national title.

Pima bolted out of the gate for a quick 2-0 first-inning lead, thanks in part to a two-run home run off the bat of Maria Ortiz. The Aztecs struck again for two more runs in the third as pitcher Yvette Alvarez helped her own cause by connecting on a two-run homer of her own to stake Pima to a 4-0 advantage. 

Butler got its first run on an RBI groundout by Kelsey Berlin in the fifth inning. Trailing 6-1 heading into its final at-bat, Butler strung together a pair of hits and an Aztec error to set up a two-out, two-run double from Ashley Malone to pull to with three runs, but Alvarez ended any hope of a Grizzlies comeback by inducing a game-ending flyout to complete the win. 

Alvarez struck out four and scattered 10 hits and four runs, one earned, over seven innings to pick up the win. The Aztec hurler also picked up two of Pima's eight hits for good measure.

Butler hurler Maggie Ham, who pitched in her third game of the day overall, ran out of steam as she was touched up for four runs and four hits in three innings of work. Mac Millspaugh and Kelsey Berlin also pitched for Butler in the game.

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Butler 4, Chipola (Fla.) 3

Butler continued its run through the consolation bracket by posting a hard-fought 4-3 win over #3-seed Chipola (FL) on Friday afternoon. The win left Butler as one of the final four teams in the tournament. Meanwhile Chipola (44-11) sees its 2013 tournament run and season end with the loss.

Butler scored all four its runs in the first two innings. Leadoff hitter Sydney Stuever led off with a double, stole third and when the throw sailed into left field.

The Grizzlies three runs in the second on the strength of four hits and two costly Chipola errors. Meanwhile, Grizzlies starter Mac Millspaugh cruised through the first four innings, retiring 12 of the first 15 hitters she faced.

However Chipola solved Millspaugh in the fifth frame, striking for two quick runs to chase the Butler hurler. Butler reliever Maggie Ham walked one with the bases loaded to allow the third run, but retired two of the final three batters in the frame to preserve the Butler lead. Ham then went on to work out of another bases loaded jam in the sixth and set down the Indians in order in the seventh to save the game.

Butler tallied nine hits in the contest, while infielder Alyson Bressie accounted for the lone Grizzlies RBI. Millspaugh was credited with the win as she scattered six hits and three runs, one earned, with four strikeouts in 4.1 innings.

Chipola hurler Karissa Child was hampered by three early Indian errors, which led to three unearned runs, to take the loss. 

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Butler 5, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M 2

Butler avenged one of its two losses in the regular season with a win over Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. NEO had beaten Butler 7-3 on March 16 in Joplin, Mo. This time, however, Maggie Ham was dominant on her way to the complete-game victory.

She allowed a run in the first inning but then retired 13 of the next 16 batters she faced. Ham would strike out 12 batters, allowing two runs on five hits.

Meanwhile, Butler got a run in the first inning when Domi O'Nelio singled to drive in Syd Stuever. In the fourth inning, Kelsey Berlin drove in a run with a single and Alyssa Aguilar doubled to drive in another, giving Butler a 3-1 lead.

Butler put the game away in the fifth when Kaitlyn Wolken hit a two-run home run over the left field foul pole.

Butler moved into the final six with the win, improving to 53-3, while NEO (44-11) saw its 2013 tournament run and season end with the loss.