Long ball dooms Garden City in game two vs. Butler

Garden City, KS-Brock Kuehler homered twice, Justin Hudson also went deep, and Butler beat Garden City, 10-3 in game two Thursday afternoon at Williams Stadium.  

Brock Toothaker and Anibal Rivera each drove in two runs for Butler, which improved to 21-14 overall and 8-6 in conference play.  

Caden Blair took the loss for Garden City, allowing six runs on four hits, which included three long balls. Peyton Walters tossed 5 1/3 innings of relief, surrendering two runs, and Taylor Dooley yielded two in just an inning of work.  

Hudson's towering-two run shot in the first gave Butler the early lead. Kuehler then smoked a solo shot with one out in the second for a 3-0 advantage before Kuehler went deep for a second time in the third to give the Grizzlies a 6-0 lead.  

Garden City sliced the deficit in half with a three-run bottom half. But they managed just three baserunners the rest of the way.  

Meantime, Butler blew things open late in the game. Toothaker doubled home two in the seventh and Rivera ripped a two-run extra base hit in the ninth.  

Eight of the nine hitters recorded a knock for Butler, and Caden Kickhaefer picked up the win, allowing three runs on six hits over five innings.