EUGENE, Ore. – Senior
Tasha Alexander (Eddyville, Iowa) drew a bases loaded, two-out, sixth-inning walk that scored the go-ahead run for the Drake University softball team in a 3-2 comeback win over BYU Thursday in the opening round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament at Jane Sanders Stadium in the Eugene Regional.
Redshirt junior pitcher
Nicole Newman (Madison, Wis.) pitched 2.1 innings in relief with six strikeouts for Drake (44-10), which won its first-ever NCAA Tournament game with the victory over the Cougars. Newman improved to an impressive 22-3 in the circle on the season and is now tied for second in all-time in wins at Drake with 64. Senior
Kailee Smith (Murrieta, Calif.) started and tossed 4.2 innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits with two strikeouts and one walk.
Newman also went 2-for-2 at the plate with a game-tying solo home run in the third inning. Newman added a single in the fifth inning and was intentionally walked by BYU (35-21) in the sixth inning to bring up Alexander. Sophomore
Mandi Roemmich (West Des Moines, Iowa) also went 2-for-2 at the plate, and she hit an RBI single in the fifth inning that tied the game at 2-2.
In the sixth inning with the game at 2-2, junior
Taryn Pena (Columbia, Ill.) led off the frame with a triple. Pena drilled a ball in the gap of center and right field as BYU's centerfielder, Brooke Vander Heide, dove but the ball hit off her glove and went all the way to the right field corner as Pena sprinted around the bases for her first career triple.
After Pena's three-bagger, Drake's next two hitters were retired to bring senior
Kelsey Wright (Olathe, Kan.) to the plate. Wright was hit by BYU pitcher, Autumn Moffat, her second hit by pitch of the season. Newman was then intentionally walked to bring up Alexander, who battled at the plate, fouling off a couple of 3-2 pitches, before taking a ball off the plate that scored Pena for the winning run.
Newman went 1-2-3 in the seventh inning, including recording a pair of strikeouts, the last one she froze Lexi Tarrow with a beautiful pitch on the corner to finish off the comeback win.
In the top of the third inning, BYU scored first without hitting a ball out of the infield. The Cougars' leadoff hitter, Rylee Jensen, hit a one-out infield single followed by a bunt single Brielle Breland and a single to first base by Tarrow to load the bases. Libby Sugg then hit a bouncer to Pena that was on the line as Rylee Jensen beat Pena's throw to the plate. Smith then retired the next two hitters to escape further damage.
In the bottom of the third, Drake didn't wait long to answer as Newman launched her third home of the season over the fence to even the game at 1-1.
BYU took the lead back in the fourth inning. Smith allowed a leadoff walk and after a sac bunt, Vander Heide hit a sharp single to center that Alexander mishandled and it allowed Madison Merrell to score and give the Cougars a 2-1 lead. Drake held BYU to just the one run as the Bulldogs threw out Vander Heide trying to steal third to end the inning.
Drake once again evened the score, this time at 2-2, in the fifth inning. Newman, who entered the circle in the top of the frame, bounced a ball up the middle for a one-out hit.
Libby Ryan (Mount Vernon, Iowa), who pinch ran for Newman, stole second and moved to third on a throwing error by BYU's catcher, Libby Sugg, on the play. Roemmich then came through with a clutch RBI single to left that scored Ryan.
Drake will play Friday at 5 p.m. CST against either host Oregon (47-7), the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, or Albany (30-24), the America East champions. Those two teams played each other after Drake and BYU. Check back later to
www.GoDrakeBulldogs.com for broadcast details of Friday's game between the Ducks or Great Danes.
