DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University softball team opened its 2016 home slate with a doubleheader split against South Dakota State Tuesday at Ron Buel Field.
 
Drake (13-11) dropped the first game to South Dakota State (10-17), 10-6, before bouncing back with a 10-2 blowout victory in five innings in the second contest.
 
In the final game, Drake wasted little time bouncing back from the first game, as sophomore Kailee Smith (Murrieta, Calif.) launched a three-home run in the bottom of the first inning. Freshman Taryn Pena (Columbia, Ill.) added to the lead in the second inning with a run-scoring single that scored sophomore Kelsey Wright (Olathe, Kan.) and one inning later Wright drove in a pair of runs with a single. Later in the frame, freshman Kennedy Frank (Chesterfield, Mo.) broke the game open with a three-run home run, her team-leading sixth on the season, to put Drake up 9-0 after three innings of play.
 
South Dakota State chipped away in the fourth inning with a two-run home run, but the Jackrabbits couldn't stop the Bulldogs as Wright plated one more run in the bottom of the inning to make the score 10-2. Smith, who pitched in relief in the circle, got the next three SDSU hitters to go down in order to secure the win.
 
Wright was 4-for-4 at the plate, adding two runs scored and three RBI. Frank, Pena and Smith each had two hits while Frank and Smith each drove in three runs. Drake's first six hitters were a combined 12-for-20 at the plate with six runs scored and 10 RBI between them.
 
Senior pitcher Mariah McKinnon (Oxford, Iowa) started and improved to 3-5 overall with 3.1 innings of work. McKinnon allowed two runs on four hits with three walks and one strikeout. Smith pitched 1.2 innings in relief and didn't allow a hit while walking one and striking out one.
 
In the first game, the teams combined for 16 runs and 23 hits. The score was 1-1 after two innings before each team scored three runs in the third inning. SDSU scored three runs in the fifth inning and two more runs in the sixth inning to seize control by a score of 10-4. Drake mounted a rally attempt in its final at-bat with two runs, but the Jackrabbits closed out the inning to take game one. The Bulldogs committed three errors.
 
McKinnon took the loss after allowing six runs (four earned) on seven hits while Smith started the game and allowed four runs on six hits. McKinnon struck out two while Smith had one strikeout.
 
Frank finished with three hits while sophomore Tasha Alexander (Eddyville, Iowa) and junior Ashlie Chambers (Ankeny, Iowa) each had two hits.
 
Drake returns to Missouri Valley Conference play when it travels to Indiana State on March 25 and 26. A doubleheader is scheduled for Friday with first pitch of game one set for 11 a.m. and a single game will be played on Saturday starting at 11 a.m.