DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake Bulldogs softball team needed just one run and one hit to edge the Iowa Hawkeyes, 1-0, on Wednesday evening (April 1) at Ron Buel Field. Drake improved to 17-12 on the season with its second win of the season over Iowa. The Hawkeyes dropped to 11-27 with the loss.

Senior Rebekah Schmidt (Cottage Grove, Minn.) pitched a complete game shutout. Schmidt scattered six hits, one walk and one hit batter while striking out seven Hawkeyes to improve to 9-8 overall. She tossed a one hit shutout against Iowa in an 8-0 win in the season opener for both teams back on Feb. 6.

The deciding run came in the first inning for the Bulldogs. Freshman Kelsey Wright (Olathe, Kan.) drew a leadoff walk and moved to second base on sophomore Megan Sowa's (Gurnee, Ill.) single up the middle. Wright and Sowa then each advanced on a groundout by senior Laura Brewer (Waukee, Iowa). Senior Hayley Nybo (Minnetonka, Minn.) followed with a sharp bouncer up the middle that bounced off the glove of Iowa's pitcher Shayla Starkenburg and in to the glove of shortstop Megan Blank. Blank fired to first to get the second out, but Wright was able to score the game's only run.

Schmidt was able to work out of trouble in several innings with timely outs and strikeouts. Iowa stranded two runners in the second, third and fourth, but couldn't get on the scoreboard. Schmidt then retired eight straight batters before Cheyenne Pratt drew a two-out walk in the seventh inning. Iowa leadoff hitter Clarie Fritsch followed with a single through the right side to put runners on first and second base. However, Schmidt buckled down and coaxed a groundout by Sammi Gyerman to Brewer to end the game.

Drake hosts the Loyola Ramblers in a doubleheader this Friday, April 3 with game one starting at 2 p.m.