FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Drake University softball team travels to the 2016 Razorback Invitational hosted by the University of Arkansas for four games this Saturday and Sunday.
Drake will play two games against host Arkansas and two games against the UMKC Kangaroos. On Saturday, the Bulldogs play the Kangaroos at 10 a.m. followed by the Razorbacks at 3 p.m. On Sunday, Drake plays UMKC at 10 a.m. and Arkansas at 12:30 p.m. Saturday's game with the Razorbacks will broadcast on SECN+/WatchESPN while all the games will have
live stats.
Drake takes a 4-1 record to Fayetteville after a successful opening weekend on Feb. 12-14 at the UNI-Dome Invitational. The Bulldogs claimed wins over Green Bay, Saint Louis, South Dakota State and Western Illinois.
Sophomore pitcher
Nicole Newman (Madison, Wis.) pitched well in the UNI-Dome. Newman, the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, made three starts and won all three, allowing just eight earned runs with 33 strikeouts. Senior
Mariah McKinnon (Oxford, Iowa) bounced back from a loss to Nebraska with a complete game against Western Illinois as McKinnon allowed just two runs to the Leathernecks.
Drake's offense had a great first weekend with a .328 team batting average with 46 hits and 25 runs scored. The Bulldogs' freshmen class of
Kennedy Frank (Chesterfield, Mo.),
Gabbie Jonas (Omaha, Neb.),
Taryn Pena (Columbia, Ill.) and
Melissa Schlotzhauer (Pilot Grove, Mo.) all hit .300 or higher. Frank finished with nine hits, four runs batted in, three runs scored, three doubles and her first career home run as she was named the MVC's first newcomer of the week for the 2016 season. Junior outfielder
Megan Sowa (Gurnee, Ill.) also had a big weekend with a home run and four runs batted in.
Drake has good history at Arkansas tournaments as the Bulldogs captured the Woo Pig Classic in 2014. The Bulldogs went 3-1 over three days, including a split with the Razorbacks, to take the title.
Drake travels to Las Vegas, Nev., for its next tournament with five games on the slate. The Bulldogs open the three-day tournament hosted by UNLV with games against New Mexico State and No. 8 Oregon on March 4. Its other three contests will be against Saint Mary's (March 5), UNLV (March 5) and Florida Atlantic (March 6).
