AMES, Iowa - The Drake Bulldogs team split its first two games of the 2012 season on Saturday. Drake (1-1) defeated Western Illinois, 3-2, in the first game of the2012 ISU Classic and North Dakota defeated Drake, 4-3, in the second game of the day.

In game one against the Leathernecks, Jordan Gronewold (Carlisle, Iowa) tossed a two hitter and held WIU to one run and the sophomore struck out ten to move to 1-0.

Drake rallied from a 2-1 deficit in the bottom of the sixth inning after Western Illinois tied the game 1-1 in the top of the frame. The Bulldogs plated two runs off of WIU starter, Haley Bickford to earn the win.

In game two, freshman Rebekah Schmidt (Cottage Grove, Minn.) took the loss for the Bulldogs. Schmidt made her collegiate debut against the Fighting Sioux and the freshman battled control problems with six walks.

She gave up two runs to begin the game to put the Bulldogs in an early hole but Torey Craddock (Tucson, Ariz.) blasted a two-run home run in the bottom half of the first to even the score.

North Dakota added two runs in the fifth inning with a two-run shot from Caralyn Chewning.

Drake was able to get one run back in the bottom of the seventh against the Sioux after Amy Pierce (Olathe, Kan.) plated pinch runner Nicole Randel (Alpine, Calif.) with a single but the Bulldogs rally fell just short.

The ISU Classic is being held in Ames because UNI had to cancel the UNI-Dome Ramada Inn Classic in Cedar Falls due to the machine that rolls out the turf at the UNI-Dome being broken.

Drake will finish the ISU Classic on Sunday with two games against Green Bay (8 a.m.) and Valparaiso (Noon).