Butler Softball Defeats Rival Hutchinson to Win Seventh Straight Region VI Title; Advances to Plains District Championship

Story by Wyatt Ebersole

In dramatic fashion, the Butler Softball team staved off a stingy Hutch Blue Dragon squad to capture the program's 13th Region VI Title and their 7th consecutive. The win for the Grizzlies is #43 on the year, giving them an overall record of 43-10 this season. The KJCCC Champion Blue Dragons have their season end with a record of 44-8 and as Region VI Runner-Ups.

It was the Dragons who scored first in the pivotal game, as Alexis Mastin hit an RBI single to open the scoring, and Allie Stipsits hit a sac fly to right to double the Dragon lead to 2-0 after the first inning. In the top of the second, the Grizzlies put together a spectacular two-out rally, recording three straight hits allowing two runs to score and knot the game up at 2-2 through the top of the inning. The Dragons regained the lead quickly, as Madison Grimes slapped an RBI single to right field to give Hutch the lead back 3-2 through the first two innings. The Grizzlies rallied again with two outs as a base knock to left in the top of the third tied the game back up at three runs apiece.

After the Dragons were silenced in their half of the third, Kendyl Anderson hit a huge pinch-hit, two-RBI single in the top of the fourth to put the Grizzlies in front for the first time on the day, 5-3 after the top of the fourth. Emma Koeneke kept the Drags off the board in the fourth, but they would rally back in the fifth, scoring two runs, one on an RBI single from Riley Wertz, and another reaching via a fielder's choice to tie the game up at 5-5 after five innings. After the Grizzlies went scoreless in the sixth, Hutch nearly scored a huge go-ahead run in their half of the inning. With a runner at third and one out, the Dragons hit a routine fly ball to right fielder Amayiah Hall that was caught cleanly and the runner from third tagged up, dashing for home. The strong-armed Hall rifled the ball home right into the glove of catcher Brianna Acosta who laid the tag down through a heavy collision with the Hutch runner, but regardless the runner was out, and Hall had preserved the tie, keeping the Dragons off the board in the sixth.

In the seventh, Briona Woods drew a leadoff walk and then stole second to move into scoring position. With two-outs and Woods on second, Cady Dickey stepped to the plate and delivered what would be the biggest hit of the year so far, as she ripped a ball through the 5-6 hole and into left field allowing the speedy Woods to score and giving the Grizzlies the lead 6-5, meaning the Grizzlies needed just three outs to win the title. Allyson Montgomery, who started the game, reentered to try and save the game for the Grizzlies. She did just that, setting the Dragons down in order with the final out being the 383rd strikeout of her Grizzly career, giving the Butler Softball Squad the dramatic win and the Region VI Title for the seventh straight year.

Allyson Montgomery struggled to start the game, only throwing two-thirds of an inning before being pulled, but she redeemed herself after reentering in the seventh and setting the Dragons down in order. She earned the save, totaling one and two-thirds innings pitched, allowing two unearned runs on one hit with two walks and two strikeouts.

Emma Koeneke picked up the win in relief. She went five and third innings, allowing three runs on five hits, while walking four.

Aly Hageman was 2-3 with a double and an RBI in the game.

Dickey was 2-4 at the plate on the day, highlighted by her Region VI Title winning RBI single in the seventh.

Hall had all three Grizzly errors in the game, but made what turned out to be the game saving throw out at home in the sixth to earn some redemption.

The Grizzlies will now try to punch their ticket to the NJCAA National Tournament when they face off at home against the Region IX champion, Northeastern (CO) next week in a best-of-three series. Winner earns an automatic bid to the NJCAA Division I National Softball Tournament in Oxford, Alabama

NOTES: The Grizzlies finish the 2023 year going 4-2 against Hutchinson…Butler Softball has won 21 straight Region VI Playoff games dating back to 2017…Butler is 31-5 against Hutch since 2005 and is 3-0 in Region VI Playoff games vs Hutch over that same time…Butler Softball is now 9-7 against ranked teams this season and Hutch is 4-4 in games against ranked opponents with six of those games being against Butler…This was the closest Region VI Championship game since 2017 when Seward defeated Butler 6-5 to force a winner-take-all second game…Butler is the first non-KJCCC Champion to win the Region VI Title since Barton won it in 2015 as a four seed…