Garden City falls at Butler

By Mike Pilosof

El Dorado, KS-Alexis Reed hit two home runs, and Celina Sullivan and Maddie Siemer allowed just two hits as Butler beat Garden City 7-0 and 8-0 at Grizzlies Field.

Reed jumpstarted the offense for the defending national champions in the bottom of the first with a three-run homer off of Samantha Akers, who for the most part, pitched pretty well.

The score remained 3-0 until the third when Brianna Robinson doubled home a run before Reed struck again, belting a two-run bomb over the fence in left to make it 6-0. Kenzie Young added an RBI double in the sixth to cap the scoring.

Sullivan struck out 12 batters while throwing only 89 pitches in six innings for Butler (28-3, 15-0), who won their 20^th straight game. Reed drove in five runs.

Akers battled all afternoon, allowing six earned runs on seven hits. She struck out five and walked three. Hannah Adams recorded the lone hit for Garden City (18-18, 6-10) with a single to center in the second.

In the finale, Caylie Kiefer got the Grizzlies on the board in the first with an RBI single up the middle. Two innings later, Anngie Salinas clubbed a two-run double, and Kifer tripled home a pair to make it 5-0. Reed followed with a sacrifice fly in the fourth, and Jordan Carlson ripped a pinch hit, run-scoring double in the fifth before scoring on an error by first basemen Angel Jimenez that completed the run rule.

Siemer surrendered just one hit-a leadoff single in the top of the third by Jimenez. She struck out six and walked two in five innings. Kifer drove in three runs, and Young collected two hits.

Marissa Montiel took the loss for Garden City, allowing five runs on five hits in three innings. She walked four.

Next up: Garden City vs. Colby-Saturday, April 7-2 p.m. and 4 p.m.