DES MOINES, IOWA ? The Drake softball team completed its three-game
Missouri Valley Conference sweep over Evansville by scoring two runs in
the sixth innings to break open a 4-4 tie en route to claiming a 6-4
win Sunday.
Carrie Hatfield Des Moines,
Iowa/East) started the sixth inning with a single to right center and advanced
to second of a Kelsey Kahler (North
Liberty, Iowa/Clear Creek-Amana) ground out to third. Elena Leon (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) collected her eighth double
of the season, scoring Hatfield.
Bridget Shields (Iowa City,
Iowa/West) advanced Leon to second with an infield ground out and Torey Craddock (Tucson, Ariz./Salpointe
Catholic) singled to center, scoring Leon and giving the Bulldogs a 6-4
advantage.
Drake,
which improves to 18-12 (4-2 MVC), was led by Erin Bly (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East)with two hits and two
runs scored and Leon with two runs scored and an RBI. Jenna DeLong (Dalton Gardens, Idaho/Coeur d'Alene) improved to 9-5,
winning her third game of the weekend. She struck out eight and allowed five
hits in 6.2 innings.
Evansville
scored three in the top of the first to jump to a fast 3-0 lead before the
Bulldogs answered with two in the bottom of the first. Molly McClelland (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) collected an RBI
walk, scoring Leon who had walked to start off the inning. Erin Mollohan (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) reached on an error by the
shortstop, scoring Bly to bring Drake within one run, 3-2.
Both
teams scored again in the third, knotting the game at four apiece with the
Purple Aces' Krista Price starting the inning with a home run to left field. DeLong then struck out Kristen Shirk, threw out Jennifer Stahlhut at second and struck out Kelci Alsip to close
out the inning.
Carrie Hatfield (Des Moines, Iowa/East)
hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield, scoring Bly and Kahler singled,
scoring McClelland for Drake's two runs in the third.
The
game remained tied until the Bulldogs took the lead in the sixth.
Drake
travels to Nebraska for a doubleheader, Wednesday (March 25) at 3 p.m.
