Softball Drops a Pair in World Series To See 2025 Season End

YUMA, Ariz. – Butler softball saw two early leads erased as their season came to a close in the 2025 NJCAA Division 1 World Series on Wednesday at the Pacific Avenue Athletic Complex.

Nine-seed Butler entered the day 1-0 in the tournament after an opening round, 3-0, defeat of Paris on Monday. They fell 7-6 to top seed Florida Southwestern in the first game on Wednesday and then 6-3 to 16-seeded McCook in the night cap. Butler held two run leads in both games but were ultimately battling from behind in the seventh inning of both.

Butler sees its season close with a 45-9 record on the year with 14 sophomores ending their Grizzly careers.

GAME 1 – (1) FSW 7, (9) Butler 6

The Grizzlies found themselves in an early 2-0 hole after FSW struck for two first inning runs, scoring off an RBI single and a Butler error.

Both teams were silent offensively in the second inning. It was Butler who scored next as the Grizzlies seized a 4-2 lead with four runs in the third inning.

Kyrsten Moran singled and stole second while Kim Yepez walked and Kylie Forney was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Kory Schoenfeld then singled, scoring Moran and Yepez to knot the game up at 2-2. Forney then scored on a wild pitch and Chloe Cardona delivered an RBI groundout to score Schoenfeld and the Grizzlies led 4-2.

Butler starting pitcher Ellie Randall (L, 17-3) threw her second consecutive scoreless inning in the third but a two-run, two-out double from FSW's Skylar Brennan tied the game 4-4 in the fourth as both scoring runners were walked earlier in the inning.

Both teams were sat down in order in the fifth. Butler stranded two runners in the sixth with Kyler Demel's one out double and Claire Lopez's walk wasted.

It was the Bucs who took the next lead in the sixth, chasing Randall from the game for Addy Ewing. Two singles and a passed ball pushed runners to second and third with no outs. The Grizzlies then got a 5-2 out at home on a fielder's choice for the first out. Noelani Livingstone delivered for FSW with a two-run double up the middle to center. Another Grizzly error scored the third run of the frame to put FSW up 7-4 before a hit batter saw Ewing come in and get the final out.

Butler nearly tied the game in the top of the seventh with the tying run sitting 60 feet from home. Yepez started the rally wearing a pitch before Forney and Schoenfeld both walked to load the bases with one out. A fielder's choice to the shortstop from Cardona scored pinch runner Elisabeth Nobert and a Demel sacrifice fly to right scored Forney, pulling Butler within a run at 7-6 but pinch hitter Caylee Mann fouled out to first base to end the game.

Randall made her second consecutive start throwing 5.2 innings with five of the seven runs being earned, striking out one and walking two. Lizzy Kwakernaak started in the circle for FSW throwing 5.1 innings slowing four runs on six hits, striking out six and walking three. The Grizzlies did not get a hit off reliever Zoe Yzaguirre who threw 1.2 innings. Butler was outhit 8-6 and made three errors to FSW's none.

GAME 2 – (16) McCook 6, (9) Butler 3

Once again Butler held a two-run lead before seeing the opposing team seize control.

A run each in the second and third innings saw Butler up two with 15 outs to go. The first run came in the second inning, courtesy of a McCook error that scored Cardona to make it 1-0. A Forney sacrifice fly in the third made it 2-0.

McCook ripped off four runs in the fourth before Butler starting pitcher Emillee Stofferahn (L, 6-1) was pulled. Stofferahn handled the Indian lineup with relative ease through the first three innings but a leadoff walk and a single in the fourth made things challenging. A two-run single with one out tied the game 2-0 before Ewing entered with two runners on. A force out at home made it two outs but two Grizzly errors saw McCook take a 4-2 lead.

Jenna Joba made it 4-3 in the fifth with an RBI single to right that scored Lopez.

Ewing handled McCook in the bottom of the fifth, but the sixth saw two hits and two errors result in two insurance runs as Butler faced a 6-3 deficit coming to bat for their last raps in the top of the seventh.

Butler went down in order in the seventh as McCook secured the win.

The Grizzlies were outhit 7-5 and made four errors in the game.