Butler run rules Garden City in game three

By Mike Pilosof

Photo by Adam Shrimplin

El Dorado, KS-For the second straight week, Chris Finnegan changed up his rotation.

After starting Jacob Douglas in the series finale vs. Cloud County, the veteran skipper moved up one of his most trusted bullpen arms and gave him the ball for game three vs. Butler. But the sophomore's day didn't last long.

Douglas threw 86 pitches in just four innings, giving up four earned runs, including a homer to Jack Maki, as the Grizzlies won decisively 10-0 in a five-inning run rule at McDonald Park.

Butler made quick work of the Broncbusters starter, scoring twice in the first inning on Joshua Cox's RBI double and an error by Grant Lathrop in right. Patrick Bethea added a sacrifice fly in the second, and Javier Pena singled to center to make it 4-0. Two innings later, Maki took the first pitch he saw from Douglas and parked it over the wall in left, and Parker Base tripled home a run making it 6-0.

In the fifth, the Grizzlies put the game away, thanks in large part to Darrian Escobar-Winter's command issues. The freshman walked the bases loaded; then issued free passes to Bethea and Cox to make it 8-0. Pena hit a sac fly, and Base singled to center to induce the run rule.

Escobar-Winter walked a season-high five batters, while Douglas walked two and surrendered his sixth homer of the season. The Broncbuster offense mustered just four hits.

Dillan Janak didn't break much of a sweat for Butler, throwing just 64 pitches in five innings.