Box Score MINNEAPOLIS – The No. 25 Drake University softball team trailed No. 14 Georgia, 4-2, in the fifth inning Saturday, May 18 night in a suspended elimination game in the Minneapolis Regional in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Georgia had runners on first and second with one out when the game was delayed for lightning. Game officials later suspended the game with inclement weather heading towards Jane Sage Cowles Stadium. Officials will meet Sunday morning at 9 a.m. to determine when the elimination game can potentially resume Sunday.
 
Drake (43-15) earned the rematch against Georgia (41-18) with an 8-0 five-inning victory over North Dakota State (42-16) earlier in the night. Georgia lost earlier in the day to Minnesota to set up a rematch of Friday's first game of the regional.
 
Drake wasted little time against North Dakota State. Taryn Pena (Columbia, Ill.) drew a bases loaded first-inning walk for the game's first run. Nicole Newman (Madison, Wis.) followed with a sacrifice fly that added to Bulldogs lead, 2-0. In the second, Kennedy Frank (Chesterfield, Mo.) delivered a clutch triple that went all the way to the left field wall that scored Macy Johnson (Winterset, Iowa) and Mandi Roemmich (West Des Moines, Iowa) to extend their lead to 4-0. Drake had two outs that inning before Roemmich went opposite field for a single and Johnson was hit by a pitch. In the third inning, Libby Ryan (Mount Vernon, Iowa) came through with her own two-out hit as she singled up the middle to push the Bulldogs lead to 6-0 as two runs scored.
 
In the fourth, Pena crushed a two-out solo home run over the left field wall to lead 7-0. Later in the fifth, Ryan ended the game early with a sharp single to right field that allowed Maddox to score and set up the rematch with Georgia.
 
Newman dominated the Bison with seven-straight strikeouts to start the game. She allowed just one hit in the fourth inning with zero walks and 13 strikeouts. It was her 25^th game with 10 or more strikeouts. Newman's win improved her record to 29-7, her single-season win total is Drake's new record for a pitcher, as she broke tie with Laurie Bowden (28, 1990).
 
Georgia struck first with a two-run, first-inning home run by Alysen Febrey off Nicole Timmons (Davenport, Iowa). Drake though answered right back in the bottom of the first as Newman and Maddox hit back-to-back RBI singles that tied the game at 2-2. Johnson was thrown out on a close play at the plate on Newman's hit but Maddox followed with her hit.
 
Timmons allowed another Georgia run in the third inning but Drake's defense helped limit the damage by getting a clutch double play to end the frame. Frank led off the Bulldogs' at-bat in the third with a walk, but was doubled off on a pop out to second by Pena. Newman followed with a walk and Maddox hit a single, but Gabbie Jonas (Omaha, Neb.) struck out to end the scoring threat.
 
Georgia added another run in the fourth on a bloop single to center field off Newman, who entered the circle for Timmons with runners on first and second with one out. The blooper came after a fly out to center field moved the runner from second to third. After a steal and walk, Newman struck out the batter with the bases loaded to end the inning.
 
In the fifth, Newman walked the leadoff hitter, threw a wild pitch that moved runner up, struck out a batter and then hit a batter before the delay at 10:06 p.m.
 
The winner of Drake vs. Georgia advances to play host Minnesota Sunday at 3 p.m. in the championship series.