CHICAGO – The Drake University softball team defeated Loyola by scores of 4-0 and 7-5 on Sunday to complete a series-shortened sweep. The teams played a doubleheader at Loyola Softball Park after the doubleheader scheduled for Saturday was postponed.
 
Drake (23-12, 11-0 MVC) was led by sophomore pitcher Nicole Newman (Madison, Wis.) who pitched a two-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts in the first win on Sunday. Newman then came on in relief in game two and pitched 3.2 innings and allowed one run on one hit with seven strikeouts to help seal the second victory. With the two wins in the circle, Newman improved to 16-6 overall on the season.
 
In the first game, Drake jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. The Bulldogs used aggressive base running to score the first run as freshman Kennedy Frank (Chesterfield, Mo.) and junior Megan Sowa (Gurnee, Ill.) executed a double steal and Loyola's catcher committed an error to allow Frank to score. Later in the frame, junior Ashlie Chambers (Ankeny, Iowa) drove in a pair of runs with an RBI single.
 
Chambers drove in the Bulldogs' final run with an RBI groundout in the fifth inning. Newman allowed one hit by the Ramblers in the first inning and one hit in the fifth inning.
 
Chambers had three RBI while Frank and sophomore Kelsey Wright (Olathe, Kan.) each had two hits.
 
In the second game, Drake raced to a 7-1 lead behind a pair of home runs by sophomore Kailee Smith (Murrieta, Calif.). Smith launched a three-run home run in the first inning and two innings later launched another three-run shot. Sowa drove in Drake's other run in the first inning with an RBI single.
 
Loyola scored two runs in the third inning off game two Bulldog starter senior Mariah McKinnon (Oxford, Iowa). The Ramblers then loaded the bases the next inning as McKinnon exited and Newman entered the contest. Newman walked in one Ramblers run, but rebounded with back-to-back strikeouts to limit the damage.
 
Loyola added one more run in the sixth inning with a two-out run-scoring single to trail 7-5, but Newman had another key strikeout to end the frame. Newman then retired the Ramblers in order in the final inning for Drake's fourth-straight MVC series sweep.
 
Smith and Sowa each had two hits to lead the offense. Smith finished with a career-high six RBI. Freshman Taryn Pena (Columbia, Ill.), Smith and Sowa each scored two runs.
 
Drake has a pair of midweek games early this week. The Bulldogs host Creighton on April 12 at 4 p.m. and then travel to Iowa on April 13 for a 5:30 p.m. game. The Bulldogs welcome Missouri State next weekend, April 15-16, at Ron Buel Field in a three-game MVC series.