SCCC Drops Pair to #17 Butler

Jay Daubenberger

Liberal, Kansas – Seward County stepped foot on French Family Field for their toughest matchup of the season as they faced the nationally ranked #17 Butler Grizzlies the Lady Saints defense kept them within reach through most of the day and even had game two all tied up before a final run from the Grizzlies allowed Butler to sweep SCCC at home.

Seward County started strong through the first two innings in game one to hold the Grizzlies scoreless before Butler put themselves ahead in the third with five runs to push in front with a 5-0 lead over the Lady Saints. A double from Noemi Tudon on a hard ground ball to left field allowed Aaliyah Gutierrez to speed her way to home and get Seward County on the board before another two runs from the Grizzlies in the top of the fourth grew the Lady Saints’ deficit out to six at 7-1. Anberlin O’Dell hammered out a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth to keep hope alive for SCCC while another hit from Tudon in the fifth allowed her to drive in another score for the Lady Saints to close the gap to 7-3. Butler added another four scores in final inning and despite a late run scored by Mollie Hardy to end the game, Seward County fell in game one 11-4.

Game two started in favor of the Grizzlies once again as they scored off of multiple big hits to take a 4-0 lead after the first inning of action. The Lady Saints defense held strong throughout the contest to keep Butler at bay while Tudon doubled on a pop fly to drive in Gutierrez thanks in part to an error from the Grizzlies as Seward County put themselves on the board trailing 4-1 after the third. O’Dell made her way home for another score for the green and white while a single by Brooklyn Castagnetta trimmed the gap down to one and an inning later Alyssa Morgan stepped up to the plate and slugged out a double to tie the score up at 4-4 after five. A quick response in the sixth by Butler allowed them to regain the lead 5-4, and despite a big double play in the top of the seventh to hold the Grizzlies back, the Lady Saints were unable to score again as they dropped a heartbreaker in game two.

SCCC drops to a 16-14 overall record in the 2024 season with a Jayhawk Conference record of 10-6 after falling in their doubleheader to Butler. Seward County will be back on the road on Monday when they head an hour down the road to Garden City to face the rival Bronbusters in a KJCCC doubleheader with game one beginning at 1:00 PM CST.