Butler Falls Behind Early, Can’t Recover in Region VI Championship Loss

DODGE CITY, Kan. – Butler softball came up short on Monday afternoon in the Region VI championship, losing 16-4 to Hutchinson at Legends Park.

The Grizzlies (47-10) streak of seven consecutive Region VI championships was snapped as Hutchinson (46-10) won its first region title since 1987. The Blue Dragons advance to the 2024 NJCAA Division 1 World Series, played from May 20-25 in Oxford, Ala.

Butler will hope for an at-large bid to the NJCAA World Series with four at-large bids being dished out following region play finishing up around the country. The bracket and matchups will be announced on the NJCAA Network on Tuesday, May 14th, at a time to be decided. Butler has played in seven straight and 13 overall NJCAA D1 National Tournaments.

For a second straight game the Blue Dragons jumped out to a first inning lead and had the Grizzlies on the ropes early. The Grizzlies started Addy Ewing (L, 11-1) and she was pulled for Cheyenne Handsaker just five batters into the game after allowing three runs on three hits. Ewing suffered her first loss in the last game of the 2024 season. Hutch answered again with three runs in the second inning, also being aided by two Grizzly errors.

Butler got on the board in the second inning making it 6-1 as Caylee Mann singled through the left side to score JaKeyla McDaniel. The Grizzlies then pulled within 6-2 in the third as Chloe Cardona scored off a Blue Dragon throwing error. That was as close as Butler would get as Hutchinson scored six runs in the fourth to go ahead 10-2.

Butler plated single runs in the fourth and fifth on a Cady Dickey RBI groundout and Alivia Darbe pinch hit RBI single, but it was too little too late.

Hutchinson's Dakota Lake (W, 11-3) threw a second consecutive complete game holding the Grizzlies to four runs (three earned) on eight hits, walking five and striking out five. Madi Divis paced Hutchinson going 4-5 at the plate with three RBI.

Butler's Lena Walter threw a team-high 3.0 innings allowing three runs. Chloe Odle threw the seventh without allowing a hit or run.

Offensively, Kyrsten Moran finished 3-5 and Claire Lopez was 2-5. Chloe Cardona walked a game-high three times, scoring a run.

The 12-run defeat is the largest loss the Grizzlies have suffered since at least 2012.