LAS VEGAS – The Drake University softball team dropped a pair of games on the first day of the UNLV Classic in Las Vegas. Drake (6-5) was edged by New Mexico State, 3-1, in the tournament opener before falling to No. 7 Oregon, 14-2, in five innings in the final game of the first day of the three-day tournament.
Oregon jumped out to a 7-0 lead after two innings before the Bulldogs scored two runs in the third inning. Freshman
Kennedy Frank (Chesterfield, Mo.) recorded a fielder's choice to score sophomore
Tasha Alexander (Eddyville, Iowa) for the first run and one batter later junior
Megan Sowa (Gurnee, Ill.) drove in sophomore
Kelsey Wright (Olathe, Kan.), who had drawn a one-out walk and moved over on the fielder's choice, with a single.
Sophomore
Kailee Smith (Murrieta, Calif.) earned her first loss of the season (0-1) after allowing seven runs on seven hits in two innings. Senior
Mariah McKinnon (Oxford, Iowa) pitched in relief and allowed seven runs on 10 hits in two innings. Alexander and Sowa had Drake's only hits off the Ducks.
In Friday's first contest, New Mexico State capitalized on a pair of Drake errors in the opening inning pushing across the game's first run after an error by Alexander allowed an Aggie base runner to score on a base hit. Earlier in the inning an error by Drake pitcher
Nicole Newman (Madison, Wis.) put a runner on base.
Drake evened the score at 1-1 in the fourth inning after Sowa's RBI groundout scored freshman
Taryn Pena (Columbia, Ill.). New Mexico State added a run the next inning on a solo home run and one more in the sixth inning after a bases loaded walk.
The Bulldogs mounted a final rally attempt in the seventh inning as Sowa ripped a ground-rule double with one out. However, the attempt fell short as the next two batters recorded outs as the Aggies claimed the win.
Newman took her first loss of the season falling to 5-1. Newman allowed three runs (two earned) on nine hits in six innings with seven strikeouts and three walks. Sowa led the offense with two hits as Drake managed just four in the game.
Drake returns to the field for two games on Saturday, beginning with a 3:30 p.m. CST game against Saint Mary's. The Bulldogs close the day with an 8 p.m. CST clash with host UNLV.
