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Bulldogs Drop 7-4 Decision To UW-Green Bay
May 8, 2003
CLEVELAND - Six errors proved costly as the Butler softball team lost to UW-Green Bay, 7-4, in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament on Thursday (May 8) at Cleveland State's Viking Field. The Bulldogs allowed only one earned run on the game, as they out-hit the Phoenix nine to seven. No. 5 Butler will face top-seeded Loyola, which was upset by No. 8 Wright State in earlier action, tomorrow at 10 a.m. (EST). The Bulldogs (18-30) jumped out on top early, as Jamie Bradley's double to centerfield scored Jeri Keller and Andrea Keech in the top half of the first. Bradley's two RBI broke the school's single-season record of 31 set by Jeanne Stephens in 1990. But, the Phoenix countered in the bottom of the inning with four runs of their own off of a pair of Butler miscues. Butler would close the gap to 4-3 in the next frame as Keech scored Keller on a double to left field. Jennifer Sundin pitched two shutout innings before fourth-seeded UW-Green Bay (13-22) took advantage of Butler's struggling fielders in the bottom of the fourth. The Phoenix scored three more runs that inning off of three hits and three errors to pull ahead 7-3. Butler got on the board one final time, in the top of the sixth inning, when Keech's single up the middle scored Lynn Hohs, who had reached earlier on an infield single. But, that was all the offense the Bulldogs could muster as the squad moved into the losers bracket of the championship tournament. Keller, Keech and Melissa Lemrick all recorded two hits on the day for Butler. With her two runs scored, Keller tied Kris Atkin's single-season record of 32 set during the 1990 season. Meghan Howard, who pitched just 0.1 innings of work, was tagged with the loss and fell to 6-8 on the season. In earlier action, No. 2 Youngstown State defeated No. 7 Detroit, 8-0, and No. 3 UIC knocked off the host Vikings 8-2. |
