Madison Rallies, But Falls Short Against Butler

In a game that resembled Thursday's opener against Kittatinny, the Madison High School softball team fell to the Butler Bulldogs, 17-16. Both games started with a few innings in which the game was close, with Madison sometimes holding the lead, then with the Dodgers giving up a big lead to their opponents and mounting a comeback in the last inning, only to fall short by one run.

Both games were high-scoring affairs as well, and Saturday morning's contest turned out to be a shoot-out. There were three home-runs in the game, one a grand slam. Madison junior Mackenzie Ellis, who started the game off 3-for-3, hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth.

"I just kind of hit it… I didn't know where it was going to go," Ellis said.

Her home run came at a crucial time. The Dodgers had been trailing 10-5 going into the bottom of the fifth, but going into the sixth they had tied the game 10-10. Then Butler senior Taylor Rae McConnell hit the first of two home runs to retake the lead for the Bulldogs.

Her first home run of the day, which was also the first of her career, was a solo shot to bring Butler up by one run. Her second home run was a grand slam in the final inning to increase the Butler lead to 17-10.

"I just wanted to get a base hit," McConnell said. "I've been swinging too hard, but today I just tried to make contact."

Madison's biggest offensive inning, just like in its game against Kittatinny, came in the bottom of the seventh, facing a large deficit and with its backs to the wall. Madison right fielder Stephanie Riveros hit a two-run double, which Nikki Caruso followed up with an RBI single, followed by yet another RBI single from left fielder Kelli Scotti.

This put Ellis back at the plate with the Dodgers down by two, with two on base, and with one out. Again, she hit the ball hard, but this time the center fielder got to the ball. Still, a run scored and Ellis earned her sixth RBI of the game.

"I was feeling a little pressure… I would have been the winning run," said Ellis.

In their first two games, the Dodgers have scored much more late in the game than early. As each game went on, it seemed Madison was getting more comfortable and making less mistakes.

"We really need to come out and be ready to play in the first couple innings. When we fall behind, we start to gain momentum, but we need the momentum from the beginning," said senior center fielder Emily Klein, who made an impressive over-the-shoulder catch in the game.

"I wasn't playing as far back as the first couple batters. I had cut over, but realized the ball was going back, so I made a detour and stabbed at it," Klein said.

Otherwise, however, Madison's defense struggled while its offense shined.

"We haven't hit like this in years. I can't recall the last time we scored 16 runs in a game," said Madison coach Hector Martinez. "So the offense is definitely there… but there were a lot of errors to start off the game, and we let too many runners get on base."

With the loss, the Dodgers are now 0-2 going into their next game against Parsippany on Monday at home.