CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The Drake University softball team edged South Dakota State, 6-4, and lost an extra-inning nail bitter to Wisconsin, 4-1, on the final day of the 2017 UNI-Dome Classic. Drake holds a 4-1 overall record after its first tournament of the 2017 season.
 
In the first game against South Dakota State, the Bulldogs jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the second inning with one of the runs coming on a RBI double by senior Kaitlyn Finneran (Morrison, Ill.). The Jackrabbits cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning with a solo home run.
 
Drake added three runs in the fifth inning. Junior Kelsey Wright (Olathe, Kan.) drove in the first run with an RBI single and later Sowa slugged a two-run home run. In the next inning, sophomore Kennedy Frank (Chesterfield, Mo.) drove in the final run for the Bulldogs with an RBI single.
 
Junior Kailee Smith (Murrieta, Calif.) pitched a complete game and allowed four runs on 10 hits with four strikeouts and one walk. With the win Smith improved to 2-0 on the season.
 
Junior Nicole Newman (Madison, Wis.) earned the start in the circle against Wisconsin. Newman allowed just one run in the first seven innings and it came in the fourth inning.
 
Drake tied the game at 1-1 in the sixth inning on a RBI double by Smith. The Bulldogs put runners on first and second base in the seventh inning but couldn't push the winning run in.
 
The international tiebreaker rule was used in the eighth inning. The Badgers scored their first run on an error and passed ball. One batter late Kelsey Jenkins hit a two-run home run to go up 4-1.
 
Following the UNI-Dome Classic, Drake travels to Tucson, Ariz., to play in Wildcat Invitational hosted by the University of Arizona, where the Bulldogs will play six games over four days, Feb. 16-19. They start their trip with a game against Arizona on Feb. 16 at 6 p.m.