LINCOLN, Neb. – The Drake softball team lost at Nebraska, 7-2, on Tuesday night at Wilkin Stadium as senior Hayley Nybo (Minnetonka, Minn.) hit her team-leading 10th home run of the season and the 33rd of her career. Nybo is now tied with former standout Elena Leon (2007-10) for the program's career home run mark.
Nybo finished 1-for-3 at the plate with one run scored and two runs batted in along with drawing one walk. Sophomore Megan Sowa (Gurnee, Ill.) went 2-for-4 with one double and one run scored.
The game was tied at 2-2 going into the sixth inning before the Cornhuskers broke open the game with five runs in the frame, capitalizing on two Bulldogs' errors.
Nybo wasted little time putting Drake (28-19) on the scoreboard as she launched her two-run home run in the first inning to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead.
Nebraska (30-19) tied the contest at 2-2 in the third inning as the Cornhuskers used four hits to score the two runs.
Kaitlyn Finneran (Morrison, Ill.), Kailee Smith (Murietta, Calif.) and Sarah Ryan (Mount Vernon, Iowa) each recorded one hit as Drake finished with six team hits. Senior pitcher Rebekah Schmidt (Cottage Grove, Minn.) struck out eight in the loss as her record falls to 17-13.
The Bulldogs will stay in Nebraska as they play at former Missouri Valley Conference rival, Creighton, on Wednesday in a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. Drake then returns to Ron Buel Field to host the Illinois State Redbirds, May 2-3, in a key league series with regular season title implications on the line.
