CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The Drake University softball team opened the 2018 season with an 11-0 win over Green Bay in five innings Friday night at the annual UNI Dome Classic.
 
Redshirt junior pitcher Nicole Newman (Madison, Wis.), who missed nearly all of 2017 for Drake (1-0) due to injury, was dominant in her return to the circle. Newman pitched four innings, allowed just one hit and two walks and struck out nine Green Bay (0-1) batters.
 
At the plate, the Bulldogs had 5 team hits, but drew 13 walks and struck out just twice. Junior Kennedy Frank (Chesterfield, Mo.) finished with a double, two runs scored and three runs batted in. Junior Taryn Pena (Columbia, Ill.) drove in a pair of runs while junior Melissa Schlotzhauer (Pilot Grove, Mo.) stole two bases and drew two walks. Five Bulldogs drew two walks each.
 
Drake batted around in the first frame, scoring four runs on just two hits, but they took five walks. Senior Kelsey Wright (Olathe, Kan.) drove in the first run of the year with an RBI single, senior Kailee Smith's (Murrieta, Calif.) sacrifice fly drove in the second run, Pena's single scored Wright and Schlotzhauer drew a bases loaded walk for the fourth run.
 
Newman struck out two in her first inning of work. In the second, Frank and Wright drew back-to-back walks and after Smith's flyout, the two had a double steal to get in scoring position. Maddox then drove in Frank to push the lead to 5-0.
 
Newman allowed a leadoff double in the third but proceeded to strike out the side and work around her only hit allowed. In the fourth, the Bulldogs scored six runs, the final three courtesy of Frank's bases-clearing double, to stake an 11-0 lead. In the bottom of the frame, Newman battled some control problems with two walks and a wild pitch to put runners on second and third. However, she struck out the final batter to escape the jam.
 
Freshman Nicole Timmons (Davenport, Iowa) relieved Newman in the fifth inning. Timmons allowed runners to reach second and third base with one out, but the freshman dug in and punched out the next two hitters to seal the win.
 
The Bulldogs will play the Phoenix again Saturday afternoon at 2:45 p.m. followed by a 7:15 p.m. matchup against South Dakota State. Drake closes tournament Sunday with games against Southeast Missouri State and UMKC at 11:45 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.