Detroit vs. Butler Game 1 Stats (HTML)
Detroit vs. Butler Game 2 Stats (HTML)
The UDM softball team allowed Butler University a pair of big first innings Saturday afternoon in Indianapolis, IN, giving the Bulldogs leads they would not relinquish as the Titans were topped, 8-0, in six innings in game one, and by a score of 9-1 in a five-inning game two.
Detroit (2-27, 0-17 Horizon League) leadoff hitter junior Stefanie Morong (Ludington, MI/Mason County Central) drew a walk to start game one, but was quickly caught stealing second base. But three-hitter, senior center fielder Erica Houthoofd (Unionville, MI/Unionville-Sebewaing Area), came to the plate and smacked a single into the right center gap to give the Titans their second base runner of the inning. However, the Titan offense went stagnant, leaving Houthoofd on base and failed to record a hit the rest of the game.
In a bizarre series of events, the game ended when Butler (33-9, 9-3 Horizon League), with runners on first and third, was awarded a run on a catcher's interference call. After the teams and umpires had cleared the field, however, the call was reversed and the teams retook the field. Unfortunately, the result was no better for Detroit after heading back onto the field, with Bulldog center fielder Lauren McNulty slapping a game-winning single back up the middle.
Sophomore Kara Spinelli (Newman, CA/Orestimba) was in the circle for game one, setting down after Butler took a 4-0 lead, allowing just one more in the second, two in the fifth and one in the sixth while striking out four. Spinelli started game two for UDM as well, which again got off to a rough start with the Bulldogs putting up seven runs, taking advantage of a Titan error and scoring three unearned.
Freshman Anna Bondy (Newport, MI/Carleton-Airport) came to the circle in relief of Spinelli, pitching well over three innings. Butler scored two in the second off Bondy, but the rookie hurler kept BU off the scoreboard the rest of the way and only allowed two hits over her last two innings.
The Titans were held in check offensively in game two until their half of the fifth. Senior Jessica Liebner (Ortonville, MI/Brandon) walked to start the inning, before giving way to pinch-runner Krissy Pitock (Carleton, MI/Carleton-Airport). Sophomore Rachel Copple (Dearborn Hts., MI/Allen Park Cabrini) followed suit, drawing a base-on-balls of her own, and was followed by Spinellis who notched Detroit's lone hit of the game, a single to left-center field, and drove Pitock in from second. UDM appeared in good shape to extend the game, with runners on first and second and no outs, but a pair of strikeouts and a grounder to short ended the Titans' rally.
The final game of the Titans three-game set with the Bulldogs gets underway Sunday at noon in Indy.
