DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University softball team swept Loyola on Saturday afternoon at Buel Field. Drake, which clinched a spot in next week's MVC Tournament with the first win of the day, improved to 27-26 and 10-15 in MVC action with the pair of wins. The Bulldogs will find out their tournament seed after the conclusion of the regular season on Sunday. They can finish either sixth or seventh for the three-day tournament, where the winner earns the MVC's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
 
In the opening game, Loyola scored the first run of the contest in the top of the third inning capitalizing on an error by Drake. The Bulldogs tied the game in the bottom of the frame with a solo home run from senior Megan Sowa (Gurnee, Ill.) that cleared the left center field fence. They then took the lead after freshman Sarah Maddox (Henderson, Nev.) roped a RBI double that scored sophomore Taryn Pena (Columbia, Ill.), who drew a walk, from first base and then junior Tasha Alexander (Eddyville, Iowa) drove in Maddox for the final run to lead 3-1. All three runs came with two outs.
 
Freshman Mandi Roemmich (West Des Moines, Iowa) added to Drake's lead with a RBI single in the bottom of the fourth to go up 4-1. The Bulldogs had the bases loaded with one out, but Pena hit a sharp ground ball to third that the Ramblers were able to turn a double play on to escape the trouble.
 
Junior pitcher Kailee Smith (Murrieta, Calif.) claimed the win in the first game as she pitched seven innings and allowed just one unearned run on six hits with two strikeouts. She worked around some trouble multiple times, including escaping a bases-load, no-outs jam in the sixth inning to keep Loyola off the scoreboard. Smith improved to 17-16 with the win.
 
Six different Bulldogs each collected one hit and Alexander, Maddox, Roemmich and Sowa each drove in one run.
 
In the second game, Drake took an early lead as Alexander reached on a bunt base hit and then proceeded to third base on a throwing error by the Loyola pitcher on the play. One batter later, senior Kaitlyn Finneran (Morrison, Ill.) dropped a perfect squeeze bunt as Alexander easily beat the throw home to put the Bulldogs up 1-0.
 
Maddox extended Drake's lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning with RBI single between third base and shortstop as Roemmich came home. Loyola cut the deficit in half at 2-1 in the sixth inning with a leadoff home run by Alyssa Mannucci, but that was all the damage as Smith came in for Drake starter Aryka Knoche (Little Canada, Minn.) and got out of the inning.
 
The Bulldogs added two insurance runs in the sixth inning with the first run coming from another perfect squeeze bunt, this one from Jonas, and later a RBI single by Roemmich that scored senior pinch runner Maddie Hooyman (Trenton, Mo.).
 
Knoche pitched five innings and allowed just the one run on the home run and just six hits. She improved to 3-6 with the victory. Smith went two innings and allowed just one hit with two strikeouts to earn her second save of the season.
 
Alexander, Finneran and Roemmich led the Drake offense with two hits each as the team finished with 10. Finneran, Jonas, Maddox and Roemmich each drove in one run.
 
Drake and Loyola will close the series on Sunday with a single game at 11 a.m. Prior to the finale, Drake will honor its 2017 senior class of Finneran, Hooyman and Sowa.