TAMPA, Fla. – The Drake University softball team defeated Fordham, 5-2, Sunday afternoon in the final game for the Bulldogs at the 2018 USF Tournament.
 
Drake (10-4) avenged a 5-4 loss to Fordham (1-9) in extra innings on Saturday morning.
 
In Sunday's win, freshman pitcher Nicole Timmons (Davenport, Iowa) earned her third win at the three-day tournament and improved to 4-2 overall. Timmons pitched 6.1 innings and allowed two earned run on five hits with eight strikeouts and just two walks. Senior Kailee Smith (Murrieta, Calif.) got the final two outs in relief and earned her fourth save of the season.
 
Senior Ashlie Chambers (Ankeny, Iowa) drove in Smith with a sacrifice fly for the game's first run in the second inning. Later in the frame, freshman Macy Johnson (Winterset, Iowa) slugged her first career home run, a two-run shot to push Drake's lead to 3-0.
 
In the fifth inning, senior Tasha Alexander (Eddyville, Iowa) doubled in freshman Libby Ryan (Mount Vernon, Iowa) to extend the lead to 4-0. Later, Alexander then scored the fifth run executing a double steal with junior Kennedy Frank (Chesterfield, Mo.).
 
The Rams put two runs on the scoreboard in the sixth inning with a one-out, two-run home run, but Timmons settled in and recorded the next two outs. Fordham put runners on first and second with out in the seventh inning, but Smith came in and worked out of the jam to give the Bulldogs a 4-1 record in Tampa.
 
Alexander, Johnson and junior Taryn Pena (Columbia, Ill.) each had two hits as the team finished with 10.
 
Drake will visit Columbia, Mo. next weekend, March 2-4, for the Mizzou Tournament. The Bulldogs open the three-day tournament against host Missouri on March 2 at 5:30 p.m. Drake then faces Southeastern Louisiana and former MVC rival, Creighton, on March 3.  Drake closes the tournament with rematches against Creighton and Missouri on March 4.