LINCOLN, Neb. -- The Drake softball team dropped a doubleheader at Nebraska Wednesday, falling 5-2 in the first game and 7-4 in the night cap.
The Bulldogs scored one run in the second inning and one run in the third inning for a 2-0 lead they would hold until the bottom of the fifth.
Back-to-back home runs by the Cornhuskers in the fifth inning would knot the game at two runs apiece and a two-run homerun later in the inning would give Nebraska a 4-2 lead.
One more run in the bottom of the sixth would put the Cornhuskers up 5-2.
Sophomore Erin Bly (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way East) started the second inning with a double down the right field line, advancing to third on sophomore Jenna DeLong's (Dalton Gardens, Idaho/Coeur d'Alene) single to right field. Drake executed its third squeeze play in four games when Bly scored off a sacrifice bunt by Erin Mollohan (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew).
The Bulldogs' run in the third inning came off another DeLong hit, a double to center field that scored junior Bridget Shields (Iowa City, Iowa/West) who reached base on a walk.
DeLong and Bly collected the Bulldogs' only hits, each going 2-for-3 in the game. Sophomore Brynne Dordel (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska) collected the loss, moving to 8-6 on the season. She struck out five and allowed three hits in 4.2 innings.
In the second game of the doubleheader Drake scored four runs in the fourth inning to take a 4-2.
Elena Leon started the fourth inning with a double to center field followed by a Shields walk. Freshman Torey Craddock (Tucson, Ariz./Salpointe Catholic) got her only hit of the day with a single through the left side, scoring Leon. Bly then hit her second home run of the season, a three-run shot that scored Shields and Craddock.
Nebraska again had an answer, scoring one run in the fifth inning and four runs in the sixth inning to secure the win and the sweep.
Bly continued her hot streak, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and one run scored. DeLong threw six innings, striking out eight and allowing eight hits in the loss.
The Bulldogs (18-14, 4-2 MVC) resume Missouri Valley Conference action when it travels to Missouri State for a three-game series with a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday (March 28) and a single-game Sunday (March 29) beginning at 12 p.m.
