The Butler Softball team opened their season at the Doc Halverson UNI-Dome Classic with a 1-4 start. Despite the record, Butler (1-4) had a lead in three games and had some positive moments.
On day one, the Bulldogs dropped both games against Omaha (4-1) and Northern Iowa (3-2). Against Omaha, Butler’s score came from Monique Hoosen hitting her first home run in the bottom of the fifth. Katie Petran made her debut with two hitless innings. Against Northern Iowa, the Bulldogs let UNI score in the first and the game went scoreless for the remainder.
On the second day, Butler split their matches. The first game against Western Illinois (1-4) was a 2-1 win. The Bulldogs took the lead in the fifth inning, with a hit by Paige Dorsett to go up 1-0. Later in the inning with the bases loaded, Teagan O’Riley had a hit to get Emily Todor home to go up 2-0. WIU scored one in the bottom of the seventh, but it wasn’t enough. In the second game of the day, Butler lost to Drake by a score of 8-6.
In the final game of the Classic, the Bulldogs lost to Northern Illinois (2-3). Butler went up 3-0 in the fourth inning before NIU responded with three runs of their own in the fifth inning. The tie held even until the eighth inning, where NIU scored three to Butler’s two.
Butler Softball travels to Atlanta for the Panther Invitational hosted by Georgia State University next. Butler opens Feb. 16 against Belmont and South Dakota.
