CEDAR FALLS, Iowa –
Nicole Newman (Madison, Wis.) threw her second career no hitter for the Drake University softball team Sunday in a 4-0 opening victory over Valparaiso and Drake rallied for a 2-1 win in the next game to complete another Missouri Valley Conference series sweep.
Drake (30-9, 13-0 MVC) and Valparaiso (17-18, 4-9 MVC) played in the UNI Dome on the campus of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls after inclement weather in Des Moines forced the team indoors. Saturday's scheduled doubleheader at Buel Field was cancelled.
Newman tossed her second career no-hitter with the first coming just over one week ago against SIU. Sunday, she lost the perfect game with two outs in the seventh when Jenna Stauffenberg drew a walk. Newman, who improved to 13-3 on the season, recorded a career-high 18 strikeouts. It is her sixth double-digit strikeout game of the season.
Newman helped herself with a deep three-run home run over the center field fence in the bottom of the second inning to put the Bulldogs up 3-0. It was her second home run of the season as
Sarah Maddox (Henderson, Nev.) and
Kelsey Wright (Olathe, Kan.) scored. Maddox cracked a two-out ground rule double and Wright followed with a walk.
Kailee Smith (Murrieta, Calif.) added to the Bulldogs' lead with a one-out solo home run in the sixth inning.
In the second game, Valpo scored the game's first run off a bases loaded hit by pitch by Drake pitcher
Nicole Timmons (Davenport, Iowa) in the fourth inning. Timmons allowed back-to-back walks to the Crusaders and then a bunt single to load the bases. She limited the damage to just the one run by getting the next two outs and leave the bases loaded.
The Bulldogs rallied the next inning behind patience and timely hitting.
Tasha Alexander (Eddyville, Iowa) drew a leadoff walk, stole second and then moved to third on a groundout by
Mandi Roemmich (West Des Moines, Iowa).
Kennedy Frank (Chesterfield, Mo.) then walked and stole second.
Macy Johnson (Winterset, Iowa) followed with the third walk of the inning to load the bases for cleanup hitter
Taryn Pena (Columbia, Ill.). Pena delivered with a two-run single to center field as Alexander and Frank scored for a 2-1 lead.
Timmons settled in after the fourth inning and allowed just one more Crusader to reach base the rest of the game. Ali Burke lined a two-out single to center in the seventh, but Timmons struck out Taylor Lawson to end the game.
Timmons struck out a career-high 12 batters and improved to 10-4 on the season. She pitched a complete game and allowed one run on three hits with four walks.
Following Sunday's game, Drake returns to the UNI Dome Tuesday to play a doubleheader versus in-state rival UNI. First pitch of game one will start at 4 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
