Butler Defeats St. John’s in Extra Innings to Win BIG EAST Softball Championship
ROSEMONT, IL. – Butler came out on top against defending champion St. John’s 10-8 in extra-innings in the title game of the 2016 BIG EAST Championship, presented by Jeep.
The win gives the Bulldogs the conference’s automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Championship and the first trip to the big dance in program history.
Butler starting pitcher Kristin Gutierrez struggled out of the gate, walking the first three Red Storm batters she faced. Krystal Puga hit a sacrifice fly to right field for the out No. 1, but Yvonne Rericha tagged up from third base to score the first run of the game. After Savannah Warren lofted a single to load bases once again, Christina Melendez powered a grand slam over the left field wall to make it a 5-0 game after one inning.
Lauren Zick singled to start the bottom of the second and Rericha followed with a base hit up the middle that moved Zick over to third. Monique Landini brought her home with a sacrifice fly to tack another run on to the St. John’s lead.
Grace Kramer got the nod from Head Coach Amy Kvilhaug to take the circle for the Red Storm. The junior hurler held Butler hitless through four innings of play, fanning five batters in the process.
The Bulldogs picked up their first hit of the day in the fifth, a two-run blast over the centerfield wall by Cheyennne Thompson in the top of the fifth to make it a 6-2 game.
Butler continued to chip away at the St. John’s lead in the sixth. With one out and runners on first and second Riley Carter singled off the wall to bring pinch runner Zoe St. Cyr across the plate and move Kaitlin Doud over to third. The Red Storm brought in McKenzie Murray to take over for Kramer in the circle and the sophomore subsequently threw a wild pitch to her first batter faced, allowing Doud to score.
After Murray hit her next batter and threw another wild pitch, Kvilhaug reentered Kramer into the contest. With two outs and runners on second and third, Krosley Ogden sent a screamer to down to third base that Melendez could not handle, scoring both runners to tie the game. The next at-bat, Sarah Dixon launched a two-run shot to the bleachers in right field and just like that Butler took the lead, 8-6.
Mikeila Boroff entered the circle for the Bulldogs in the second inning after the Zick single and immediately quieted the bats of the Red Storm. The sophomore allowed just four hits in her five innings of work, walking none.
Down two runs in the bottom of the seventh, Rericha and Landini each singled to leadoff for the Johnnies before Butler Head Coach Scott Hall brought Gutierrez back into the circle for Boroff. Brittany Garcia then drove an RBI double deep to the centerfield, putting runners on first and third. Puga grounded out to short on the next at bat, bringing in Landini to tie the game.
After intentionally walking her next two batters to load the bases, Gutierrez forced the next two pop out in foul territory to send this title game into extra innings.
With runners on first and second and one out in the eighth, Brandyce Sallee recorded her first hit of the tournament on a double to bring home both runners and regain Butler the lead.
Gutierrez walked two batters in the bottom of the inning but did not let that faze her, picking up the win and bringing the BIG EAST title home to Butler.
Sarah Dixon of Butler was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, going 4-for-5 through two games with three runs, five RBI, a double, triple and a home run.
The complete 2016 BIG EAST Championship All-Tournament Team is below.
Dylan Christensen, DePaul, Jr., 1B
Naomi Tellez, DePaul, Sr., C
Yvonne Rericha, St. John’s, Sr., RF
McKenzie Murray, St. John’s, So., P
Christina Melendez, St. John’s, Fr., 3B
Sarah Dixon, Butler, So., RF
Kaitlin Doud, Butler, Fr., 1B
Kristin Gutierrez, Butler, Sr., P
Riley Carter, Butler, Sr., C