Kansas City
Butler
?Roos Earn Walk-Off Win Over Butler
2/15/2014 7:00:00 PM | Softball
(Fayetteville, Ark.) – Brooke Parker hit a two-out, bases loaded single in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift Kansas City past Butler 7-6 at Bogle Park on Saturday afternoon.
The 'Roos built a 6-2 lead on the strength of a pair of homeruns by Marlee Maples and Caitlin Christopher in the second and third inning, respectively, but the lead dwindled until the Bulldogs finally tied it up in the top of the seventh.
For the third consecutive game, the opponent struck first, with Butler getting on the board with a pair of runs in the first inning, cashing in a pair of singles with an RBI double and a sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the second, Aly Zembruski reached with a single, setting the table for Maples two batters later. Maples capitalized with a sky-scraping homerun to left field, her first of the season, to knot the game at a two runs apiece.
Alex Friloux led off the home half of the third inning with a double to the base of the wall in straightaway centerfield. Bri Wyatt reached base by beating out the throw after a third strike escaped the catcher, and Katie Kelley singled to plate Friloux. One batter later, Christopher collected her second homerun in as many days – and third of the season – with a no-doubter deep over the left field wall.
For the tournament, Christopher leads all hitters with eight runs driven in. Meanwhile, Friloux, who went 3-for-4, abused Bulldog pitching, using the game as a platform for a breakout performance.
Butler would answer in the top of the fourth inning, loading the bases and chasing starter Kenzie Flaws from the circle. Cinda Ramos entered in relief and struck out the first batter she faced, but the Bulldogs were able to breakthrough with back-to-back singles to cut the deficit to 6-5.
The fifth and sixth innings passed without incident before Butler triggered the dramatics with a run in the top of the seventh, ultimately sending the game into extra frames.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Zembruski led off with a walk. Ramos followed with the goal of advancing her with a sacrifice bunt, but the ball was misplayed and Ramos reached safely. Two batters later, Kristi Lee's soft liner ricocheted off the mitt of the Bulldogs' shortstop to load the bases up, the game-winning run just 60 feet away. Two batters later, it was Parker lifting a line drive just in front of a diving outfielder for the walk-off.
Ramos earned the victory for Kansas City, throwing 4.2 innings in relief, allowing just one earned run and striking out two.
Parker's heroics gave UMKC its first victory of the weekend, while keeping Butler winless. The teams will meet once more at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, before the 'Roos and Arkansas Razorbacks close out the tournament at noon.
