FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Drake University softball team rallied to beat the Arkansas Razorbacks, 9-2, on Sunday afternoon to close the Razorback Invitational. Drake (6-3) lost to UMKC by a score of 12-5 in its first game on Sunday.
 
The Bulldogs used a six-run scoring explosion in the sixth inning against tournament host Arkansas to break open the game after trailing 2-1. Junior Kaitlyn Finneran (Morrison, Ill.) gave the Bulldogs the lead at 3-2 with a base-loaded double to score Taryn Pena (Columbia, Ill.) and Melissa Schlotzhauer (Pilot Grove, Mo.). Drake sent 12 hitters to the plate total and added four more runs to lead 7-2 going into final inning.
 
Sophomore Tasha Alexander (Eddyville, Iowa) launched a two-run home run in the seventh to pad the lead over the Razorbacks. Fellow sophomore Nicole Newman (Madison, Wis.) improved to 5-0 with another stellar performance in the circle. Newman went seven innings and allowed two runs on seven hits while striking out eight. Finneran had two hits, drew two walks, drove in a pair of runs and scored three times.
 
In the day's first game, UMKC jumped out to an 8-0 lead after just two innings before the Bulldogs got on the scoreboard. Freshman Kennedy Frank (Chesterfield, Mo.) blasted her team-leading third home run of the season, a two-run shot, to make it 8-2. The Bulldogs battled errors committing five as pitchers Mariah McKinnon (Oxford, Iowa) and Kailee Smith (Murrieta, Calif.) allowed just one earned run between the two. McKinnon took the loss to fall to 1-3 on the season.
 
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 and UNLV on March 5 and Florida Atlantic on March 6.