CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The Drake softball team opened the 2015 season with a 8-0 victory in six innings over the Iowa Hawkeyes on Friday night at the annual UNI Dome Tournament in Cedar Falls.

Senior Hayley Nybo (Minnetonka, Minn.) blasted a three-run home run in the first inning to get Drake (1-0) on the scoreboard. Senior Rebekah Schmidt (Cottage Grove, Minn.) pitched a complete game and recorded six strikeouts while allowing just one Iowa (0-1) hit.

Sophomore Megan Sowa (Gurnee, Ill.) went 1-for-3 at the plate with one run and run batted in. Her RBI-single came in the fifth inning. The Bulldogs ended the contest in the sixth inning with four runs, which all came with two outs, with the last run driven in by senior Laura Brewer (Waukee, Iowa) that plated senior Sarah Ryan (Mount Vernon, Iowa).

Drake's 7-8-9 hitters (Chelsea Blaylock (Des Moines, Iowa), Kaitlyn Finneran (Morrison, Ill.) and Ryan) combined to go 3-for-7 at the plate with two runs batted in and four runs scored. Ryan added a walk and a stolen base. Freshman Kailee Smith (Murrieta, Calif.) had a pinch-hit RBI triple in her debut as a Bulldog.

The Bulldogs are back in action at the UNI Dome tournament Saturday morning with games against Southern Utah at 8:15 a.m. and North Dakota State at 10:30 a.m.