DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University softball team used a seven-run, fifth inning to rally past Iowa State, 9-5, on Tuesday night at Ron Buel Field.
Drake (20-11), who earned its 20
th win of the season with Tuesdays victory, trailed 5-1 entering the fifth inning. Sophomore
Tasha Alexander (Eddyville, Iowa) led off the inning with a solo home run, her fifth of the season, as the Bulldogs sent 12 batters to the plate and scored six more runs to chase Iowa State (15-18) starter Emma Hylen and reliever Savannah Sanders out of the game with the big inning.
Also in the fifth, freshman
Taryn Pena (Columbia, Ill.) had a two-run single and later with the bases loaded juniors
Ashlie Chambers (Ankeny, Iowa) and
Kaitlyn Finneran (Morrison, Ill.) were hit by a pitch and drew a walk, respectively, to score one run each before Alexander came up for a second time in the frame and drove in two runs with a single.
Sophomore
Kailee Smith (Murrieta, Calif.) collected her first win of the season in the circle. Smith relieved senior starter
Mariah McKinnon (Oxford, Iowa) and allowed just two hits in four innings of work while striking out two as Smith improved to 1-1 overall. McKinnon allowed five runs (two earned) in three innings while walking two.
Smith added to Drake's lead in the sixth inning with an RBI-single. Junior
Megan Sowa (Gurnee, Ill.) put the Bulldogs on the scoreboard in the third inning with a run-scoring single.
Alexander and freshman
Kennedy Frank (Chesterfield, Mo.) led the offense with three hits each while Alexander drove in three runs and Frank scored twice. Pena drove in two runs. As a team, Drake pounded out 10 hits.
Iowa State's first four runs came in the opening inning and the fifth run came in the third inning. The team two teams are scheduled to play again April 26 in Ames, Iowa, at 4 p.m.
On Wednesday, Drake travels to Omaha for a doubleheader with the Mavericks starting at 4 p.m. before returning to MVC play this weekend at Loyola for a three-game series with the Ramblers. The Loyola series will start on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at noon and the series finale will be Sunday at noon.
