ARKADELPHIA -- Junior Ouachita Baptist pitcher Marissa Butler threw a no-hitter on Saturday and upped herself with the first perfect game in program history on Sunday.
Butler, from Plano, Texas, powered Ouachita (19-22, 15-19 Great American Conference) to its first conference sweep of the season. The Tigers won both games on Saturday and two more on Sunday against Northwestern Oklahoma State (11-29, 10-24) at Sully Anderson Field.
"I can't take any credit, my team played great behind me." Butler said, "Honestly, I'm still in disbelief. Going through that inning, I was thinking to myself that this is actually happening."
Butler (9-8) threw the first no-hitter of her career in a 2-0 win on Saturday. She was perfect in Sunday's 5-0 victory to finish with 10 strikeouts to just one walk in 14 innings in two days.
Ouachita held the Rangers scoreless in all four games. Junior Kelsey O'Brien (3-0), from Denton, Texas, picked up the win in Saturday's second game, a 7-0 win.
Freshman Lexi Brooks (2-3), of Mena, allowed just two hits in three innings as the starter in a 1-0 win to close the series on Sunday. O'Brien pitched the final four innings to pick up the save.
The pitching staff combined to give up just nine hits over the weekend.
The sweep was Ouachita's best conference result of the series. The team's previous best outing in the GAC this season came against Southern Nazarene (19-24, 15-16), as Ouachita won three of four games in Bethany, Okla., to open conference play.
The Tigers followed the series win with two wins over second-place Arkansas Tech (33-12, 24-9) in games held at Central Arkansas in Conway to improve to 9-4. They were 6-18 in their next 24 games before the weekend tilt against Northwestern.
It was the first time this decade Ouachita achieved a four-game shutout sweep of an opponent. It was also Ouachita's first four-game sweep of a conference opponent since March 2013.
Senior center fielder Kelly Powell reached base on an error to begin the bottom half of the first inning in Butler's perfect game. Senior first baseman Gabby Gonzalez later bunted Powell home to put the Tigers on the board.
Senior left fielder Paige Purifoy helped add to the score in the bottom of the fourth. Her single to left field scored freshman right fielder Tobi Finley from second base.
Powell hit a bases clearing double with two outs in the sixth inning to give Butler a 5-0 cushion to start the seventh.
Ouachita scored its only run of the final game of the series on Sunday in the first inning. Powell doubled to right field to lead off the bottom half of the first. Senior catcher Sarah Johnson drove in Powell with a single to right field.
The Tigers did not score until the third inning of Butler's no-hitter in the series opener on Saturday. Senior shortstop Madison Crosby opened the bottom half of the frame with a single to right field. Powell singled down the left line before freshman Sloane Precure hit an RBI single into left field.
Butler's perfect game ended with an error in the fourth inning.
Gonzalez hit an RBI double to center field in the sixth inning for the Tigers' second run of the game. Butler sent the Rangers down in order in the seventh to complete the no-hit bid.
Ouachita's offense came alive in Saturday's nightcap. The team finished with 14 hits in the game.
Purifoy, Precure and Johnson all picked up RBIs in the bottom of the second inning as the Tigers pounced out to a 4-0 lead. Johnson struck again in the fourth inning with a two-run home run into the trees beyond the left field wall. Powell picked up another RBI in the fifth inning to give Ouachita a 7-0 lead.
The Rangers threatened in multiple innings, but the Tigers pitching staff was able to prevent the runners from scoring.
Ouachita will have a short turnaround as the Tigers are scheduled to face rival Henderson State (26-19, 18-16) tonight in two games at Sully Anderson Field. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Sports on 04/17/2018