CARBONDALE, Ill. – Southern Illinois completed a three-game sweep of the Drake University softball team Sunday afternoon by winning both Missouri Valley Conference games. SIU took game one by a score of 6-2 and then completed the sweep with a 6-1 victory in game two.
 
In the opening game, Drake (16-16, 0-6 MVC), which trailed 2-0 after a first inning home run by SIU (17-14, 5-1 MVC), was led by freshman Abby Buie (Gardner, Kan.) who drove in both of the Bulldogs' runs. Buie's two-run single in the fourth inning briefly tied the game at 2-2 before the Salukis took the lead back with a RBI double in the bottom of the frame.
 
SIU added three more insurance runs in the fifth inning as Drake had runners in scoring position in the fifth and seventh inning but couldn't push any more runs across.
 
Junior pitcher Kailee Smith (Murrieta, Calif.) took the loss in the circle to fall to 7-11 on the season. Smith allowed six runs on nine hits in five innings with one walk and one strikeout. Buie made her pitching debut as she tossed the sixth inning and allowed just one hit.
 
Freshman Mandi Roemmich (West Des Moines, Iowa) led Drake with two hits.
 
Drake fell behind 2-0 in the first inning of the second game. The Bulldogs then cut the lead in half at 2-1 in the top of the second inning as they scored on a Salukis error. However, Drake couldn't capitalize for more runs leaving runners stranded at second and third base.  
 
The game remained 2-1 until the bottom of the fifth inning when SIU broke open the game with four runs and chased Bulldog freshman pitcher Aryka Knoche (Little Canada, Minn.) from the game. Knoche pitched four innings and allowed five runs on three hits with six walks and two strikeouts. Buie came on in relief again and allowed one run on one hit in two innings with two walks and one hit batter.
 
Drake, which had just three hits in the game, failed to get a hit in the sixth or seventh inning as the team dropped its seventh game in a row. Junior Kelsey Wright (Olathe, Kan.) had two hits while Knoche had the other hit for the Bulldogs.
 
Drake travels home for its season opener at Ron Buel Field with a three-game series against Indiana State on April 1 and 2. The series starts with a doubleheader on Saturday with games scheduled for 12 and 2 p.m. before concluding Sunday at 11 a.m. All three games will be streamed on The Valley on ESPN3.