CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Redshirt senior Nicole Newman (Madison, Wis.) and sophomore Nicole Timmons (Davenport, Iowa) pitched a combined no-hitter as the Drake University softball team opened the 2019 season with a 7-0 win over Toledo late Friday night at the UNI-Dome Classic.
 
Sophomore Macy Johnson (Winterset, Iowa) led the Drake offense, which pounded out10 hits, with three hits while junior Abby Buie (Gardner, Kan.) and seniors Kennedy Frank (Chesterfield, Mo.) and Taryn Pena (Chesterfield, Mo.) each had two hits. Frank drove in two runs with a seventh-inning triple while Johnson and Pena each had RBI doubles. Freshman Alexia Lara (Bettendorf, Iowa) drove in two runs with a pair of walks.
 
In the circle, Newman (1-0) pitched five no-hit innings and struck out 12 with one walk coming in her final inning of work. Timmons worked around control issues in the sixth inning but finished with two strikeouts and didn't allow a hit.
 
Lara's bases loaded walks came in the first and second innings while Johnson's and Pena's run scoring doubles occurred in the second. Buie's RBI single was in the sixth and Frank's three- bagger scored Johnson and Newman in the final frame. Johnson scored two runs while Newman drew three walks at the plate.
 
Drake continues play at the UNI-Dome Saturday with a 10:15 game against South Dakota State and a rematch with Toledo at 2:45 p.m. Both games will be on ESPN3.