Butler Upsets Regular Season Champ DePaul in Softball Championship Semifinal
ROSEMONT, IL. – Fourth-seeded Butler battled back after going down by four runs to upend top-seed DePaul 10-6 in the first semifinal of the 2016 BIG EAST Softball Championship presented by Jeep.
Making their first appearance in the BIG EAST Championship since joining the conference, the Bulldogs were not fazed by facing the regular season title winners.
The Blue Demons were the first to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first after Dylan Christensen tagged up from third base with the bases loaded after Sarah Dixon made a leaping catch in foul territory in right field.
In the top of the second Butler would load the bases with two outs for Krosley Ogden. The senior came up big with a grounder that was bobbled by the DePaul shortstop, allowing pinch runner Zoe St. Cyr to score and tie up the ballgame 1-1.
After the leadoff batter for DePaul doubled to start bottom of the second, Butler Head Coach Scott Hall replaced starting pitcher Kristin Gutierrez with sophomore Mikeila Boroff. Later in the inning, Dylan Christensen doubled off the wall in right-center field with one out and runners on first and second, bringing in a run. After BIG EAST Player of the Year Morgan Maize drew a walk to load up the bases, Boroff escaped the inning, forcing the Blue Demons into a 5-2-3 double play.
Maize registered two quick outs in the circle to start the third inning before walking Alyssa Lach. Freshman Kaitlin Doud followed that up with an RBI double off the wall and once again it was a tie ballgame.
Gena Lenti and Micah Fitzgerald both singled to lead off the bottom of the fourth and Dylan was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Boroff forced Maize to pop out before Naomi Tellez went yard with a grand slam down the left field line to give DePaul a four-run lead.
The fifth is where the Bulldogs would make their move, tallying seven runs on three walks, an error and four hits. Butler twice cleared the bases with three runners on, the first off a Riley Carter double to the left field wall and then later on Sarah Dixon triple.
Gutierrez returned to the circle with one out in the bottom of the fifth and kept DePaul at bay for the rest of the afternoon.
Doud added to the Butler lead in the sixth with a solo home run, her second long ball of the year.
Boroff picked up the win after 3.1 innings of work and Gutierrez was awarded the save.
The two teams combined for the most runs in a BIG EAST Softball Championship since Louisville and Syracuse put up 16 in a 2003 semifinal matchup.
Butler will face the winner of the second semifinal between No. 2 Villanova and No. 3 St. John’s on Saturday at 2 p.m.