Grizzlies Come up Short in Game 1 of Region Final, Winner Take All Set for Monday
DODGE CITY, Kan. – A six run first inning from two-seed Hutchinson was too much for one-seed Butler to overcome as they dropped the first game of the championship series of the Region VI Tournament to Hutchinson, 12-3, on Sunday afternoon at Legends Park.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 15 | 3 |
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0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 5 |
DODGE CITY, Kan. – A six run first inning from two-seed Hutchinson was too much for one-seed Butler to overcome as they dropped the first game of the championship series of the Region VI Tournament to Hutchinson, 12-3, on Sunday afternoon at Legends Park.
Hutchinson (45-10) took down Barton 9-5 in the semifinal game and immediately moved on to play Butler (47-9) 30 minutes after. The loss was Butler's first of the tournament and first for the Grizzlies since the tournament moved to Dodge City in 2018 as they were 23-0 in Region VI play at Legends Park before the loss.
The Blue Dragons came out on fire, plating six runs on seven hits and three Grizzly errors. Starting pitcher Cheyenne Handsaker (L, 19-5) was chased after allowing four runs on four hits. Addy Ewing entered the game with just one out as Butler trailed 3-0. She allowed two runs before she was pulled in favor of Chloe Odle. Odle managed to get the third out of the inning without allowing a run but the Grizzlies were facing a 6-0 deficit just half an inning in.
The Grizzly offense plated a run in three separate innings but could not string together a rally. Kory Schoenfeld scored on a throwing error in the second inning to put Butler on the board making it 6-1. A Caylee Mann RBI double in the sixth made it 10-2 and a Claire Lopez RBI single through the left side made it 12-2 in the seventh. Hutchinson scored three in the third and two in the seventh to build off the first inning explosion.
Butler was outhit 15-6 and made five errors. On Saturday the Grizzlies shut Hutchinson out, winning 5-0 as Handsaker threw a complete game shutout allowing just five hits.
Hutchinson's Dakota Lake threw a complete game in this one allowing two earned runs on six hits, striking out eight and walking three. Hutch was led by Bailey Backhaus' 4-4 day at the plate.
The two teams will play a single game at noon on Monday to determine the 2024 Region VI champion and see who gets the automatic berth into the 2024 NJCAA Division 1 Softball World Series.