Robinson ties single-game HR record as Butler sweeps Tech

GOODLAND, Kan. — Butler sophomore Brianna Robinson tied a school record with three home runs in a single game as the 17th-ranked Grizzlies hammered Northwest Kansas Technical College in a road doubleheader Sunday afternoon.

The Grizzlies (23-5 overall, 15-1 conference) run-ruled the Mavericks in both games, winning the opening contest 12-0 behind a combined shutout from Megan Johnson and Kaylee Burnett. Butler then hit a season-high six home runs - including three from Robinson - in a 14-1 victory.

Butler extended its winning streak to 12 games, as well as increasing its conference road winning streak to a school-record 45 games.

With the week off, Butler will next play at Barton in Great Bend on Saturday in a 1:00 p.m. conference doubleheader. The Grizzlies' next home game is against Pratt on Sunday at 1 p.m. from East Park.

Game 1 - Butler 12, Northwest Kansas Tech 0 (5 innings)

Butler broke a scoreless tie in the top of the third inning with a pair of RBI doubles from Brianna Robinson and Taliya Talley. Shayna Espy hit a one-out double to right-center, then scored on Robinson's double throught ht eleft side of the infield. Talley followed with a double to right-center to drive in Robinson.

The Grizzlies exploded for seven runs on six hits in the fourth inning, as Butler sent 11 batters to the plate. Northwest Tech helped out the Butler offense by committing five errors in the inning.

Jaime Barta started the scoring with an RBI single to left to plate Jordan Carlson, who singled to center and advanced to third courtesy of a two-base error on the hit. Two batters later, a infield error on a ball hit to second by Shayna Espy scored Barta and Meghan Gutierrez.

With two outs and two runners on base, Delainey Fenoglio hit a three-run home run to left-center to give Butler an 8-0 lead. After Makensey Pankers dobuled to center, Sara Mitchell hit a single through the left side of the infield to score Pankers.

Butler added three more runs in the fifth, getting a two-run double to left-center from pinch hitter Asia Henry. Three batters later, Pankers drove in Henry with an RBI single to right.

Grizzly starter Megan Johnson (8-1) threw three shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out three. Reliever Kaylee Burnett fanned five batters while allowing just one hit in two innings.

The Grizzlies finished with 15 hits, with a three-hit performance from Pankers. Espy went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI, while Robinson, Talley and Carlson also had two hits each. Butler's top three hitters in the lineup - Gutierrez, Espy and Robinson - each scored two runs. 

Game 2 - Butler 14, Northwest Kansas Tech 1 (5 innings)

Brianna Robinson blasted a solo home run to straight-away center with two outs to give the Grizzlies an early 1-0 lead in the inning.

Robinson then added her second homer - a two-run line-drive shot to left-center - to begin a seven-run third inning. Following a Taliya Talley double, Asia Henry hammered a two-run home run that cleared the left-field fence. Anna Williams added a two-run double to right-center to score Delainey Fenoglio and Sara Mitchell, then Taylor Lambert delivered a two-out RBI single up the middle to score Williams.

Butler had seven consecutive batters reach base, getting a walk and six straight hits as the Grizzlies built an 8-0 lead after three innings.

In the fourth, Robinson and Talley hit back-to-back solo home runs to extended the lead to 10-0. With her solo homer to left-center to lead off the inning, Robinson became the fifth Grizzly in school history to hit three homers in a game and the second player to achieve the mark this season, joining Anna Icenhower (April 4, at Pratt).

The Grizzlies capped the scoring with four runs in the fifth inning, beginning with a two-run double to left-center from Asia Henry. Fenoglio hit Butler's sixth home run of the game with a two-run blast to right field.

Robinson, Talley, Henry and Mitchell led Butler with three hits apiece, with Robinson and Henry driving in four runs each. Robinson finished 3-for-3 with four runs scored, while Gutierrez, Talley, Henry and Fenoglio each scored twice.

In addition to her performance at the plate, Robinson (3-1) also earned the victory by allowing just one hit and striking out five in three shutout innings. Kris Lucas tossed the final two innings, allowing one earned run on one hit.

NOTES: Butler improved to 6-0 all-time against Northwest Kansas Tech, who started its softball program last year... Robinson now has 33 career home runs and is just three back of Brynn Minor (2016-17) for third all-time at Butler. Robinson also currently ranks fifth in career RBI with 126, just five back of Kenzie Young (2017-18)... With a 5-for-7 performance in the doubleheader, Talley has now hit in 11 straight games with a .581 average (25-for-43), seven home runs and 30 RBI over that span... Butler scored double-digits in both games of a conference doubleheader for the fourth time this season. The run-rule sweep was the Grizzlies' third of the season.