EVANSVILLE, Ind. - The Drake University softball team opened Missouri Valley Conference play Saturday with a doubleheader sweep over Evansville. Drake (18-9, 2-0 MVC) won the first game over Evansville (7-17, 0-2 MVC), 3-0 and the second game by a score of 6-3.
 
Nicole Newman (Madison, Wis.) pitched a complete game, two-hitter in game one. Newman (8-2) allowed just two hits with eight strikeouts and one hit batter as she faced just 23 batters.
 
Drake had only three hits in the game, but the Bulldogs made Evansville pitcher Morgan Florey work hard by drawing seven walks.
 
In the second inning, Sarah Maddox (Henderson, Nev.) drew a one-out walk and then stole second. Taryn Pena (Columbia, Ill.) followed with a double to score Maddox. Four batters later, Kennedy Frank (Chesterfield, Mo.) drew a bases loaded walk that scored Gabbie Jonas (Omaha, Neb.).
 
The Bulldogs added an insurance run in the seventh inning when Mandi Roemmich (West Des Moines, Iowa), who led off the frame with a single, scored after an error by the Purple Aces.  
 
Drake was little time in the second game as Maddox drove in a pair of runs with an RBI single as Frank and Johnson scored to lead 2-0.
 
In the bottom of the inning, Evansville tied the game as Florey singled in one run and another came after an error by Drake's catcher, Ashlie Chambers (Ankeny, Iowa). In the next inning though the Bulldogs quickly took the lead back at 3-2 as they capitalized on a Purple Aces' error as Roemmich scored.
 
The score stayed 3-2 until the top of the seventh when Drake added three insurance runs. Libby Ryan (Mount Vernon, Iowa) drove in Kailee Smith (Murrieta, Calif.), who hit a leadoff double, with a single and later Roemmich plated two runs with a single to left as Pena and Ryan scored.
 
Nicole Timmons (Davenport, Iowa) started in the circle and went 4.2 innings. Timmons (6-4) allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits with four walks and five strikeouts. Smith relieved Timmons and earned her fifth save going 2.1 innings and she allowed one run on four hits with three strikeouts and one walk.
 
Evansville's run came in the seventh inning with two outs, but Smith struck out the final Purple Aces' batter for the sweep.
 
The teams close the series Sunday morning with an 11 a.m. game.