SOUTH WAYNE – Freshman pitcher Hannah Butler held Dodgeville scoreless over the final four innings to keep her Black Hawk softball team in the game, and she gave herself the lead by smashing a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning as the Lady Warriors rallied to sink the visiting Dodgers, 3-2, in a non-conference contest in South Wayne on Tuesday, March 28.
Senior second baseman Sammy Lovelace doubled in a run and scored another for the Warriors on offense, and she added a couple of nice plays in the field to save a couple of runs on defense.
Dodgeville (0-1) took an early 1-0 lead on a solo home run by freshman Grace Borne in the top of the first inning, but junior Hannah Herbst led off the Warriors’ half of the first with a single and scored on Lovelace’s double to even the game at 1-1.
The Dodgers regained the lead in the third with an unearned run off of Butler, and they maintained their 2-1 lead until the fifth when the Warriors got one back when Lovelace reached on an error and then stole her way around the base path to tie the score at 2-2.
Butler led off the Warriors’ sixth with a towering solo homer over the left field fence to give the hosts their first lead of the night.
After getting a strikeout to start the seventh, Butler gave up a single to put the tying run on base. Catcher Jordyn Delzer erased the runner on a stolen base attempt for the second out, and Butler fanned Borne looking for the third out to seal the victory.
Butler gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks, and she finished the game with seven Ks.
At Cobb, on Friday, March 31, the Warriors were limited to just one hit in a 10-0 non-conference loss to host Iowa-Grant.
Black Hawk has games scheduled at Belmont on Thursday, April 6, at Pecatonica (Blanchardville) on Monday, April 10, and at Barneveld on Tuesday, April 11. All three games are scheduled to start at 5 p.m.
Dodville…….. 000 000 0 – 2 3 0
Black Hawk… 000 000 0 – 3 5 0
Leading Hitters: Sammy Lovelace 2x4, Mia Jackson 2x3, Cheyenne Stewart 2x4. HR– Hannah Butler. 2B– Jackson.
WP- Hannah Butler. LP- Parker.
Black Hawk… 000 00 – 0 1 2
Iowa-Grant…. 021 25 – 10 6 3
Leading Hitters: None.
WP- McCarthy. LP- Hannah Butler.
Butler powers Black Hawk past Dodgers