KANSAS CITY – The Drake University softball team dropped a doubleheader at Kansas City Saturday. Kansas City (6-1) won the first game by a score of 8-0 in five innings and then rallied for a 5-4 victory over Drake (2-5) in the finale that went 12 innings.
 
In the second game, the Bulldogs came back from down 2-0 to lead 3-2 after two innings. In the second, Delaney Taylor singled with two outs through the left side as Laura Anderson scored the team's first run. Libby Ryan followed with a single up the middle that scored Taylor and Emma Richards, who had followed Anderson's single with a double down the right field line.
 
The Roos tied the game at 3-3 capitalizing on the first of five errors by Drake. Makayla Rice's error with two outs allowed Katherine Karnatz, who led off the frame with a single, to score.
 
The game remained locked at 3-all until the seventh when Macy Johnson scored Taylor with a one-out single through the left side that put the Bulldogs up 4-3. However, Johnson was caught stealing second during the next at bat by Addie Lightner, who cracked a double to left center, but Lightner was stranded after Alexia Lara struck out.
 
The lead didn't last long as Karantz was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of seventh. One batter later, Karantz scored on D'Ambrosio triple to right center that tied the game at 4-4. Richards locked in and retired the next three Roos to extend the game.
 
Drake didn't threaten again until the 11^th when it had runners on second and third with two outs after a Roos' error. But Haylee Lehman grounded out to the pitcher to end the inning. Richards escaped her own trouble in the bottom of the inning as Kansas City had runners on second and third with just one out. Richards though retired the next two Roos to send the game to the 12^th.
 
The Bulldogs put one runner on base in the 12^th as Lara reached on a two-out error, but Skylar Rigby grounded out. Ally Vonfeldt led off the bottom of the 12^th with at triple but once again Richards settled in and retired the next two hitters. However, the marathon game ended on the next at-bat as Rice's error allowed Vonfeldt to score the winning run.
 
Richards (1-2) pitched 11.2 innings in just her third career start and allowed five runs (three earned) on 10 hits with two walks and four hit batters. She recorded her second career double-digit strikeout performance with 10. Anderson led Drake hitters with three hits while Johnson, Lightner, Richards and Taylor each had two.
 
Kansas City broke up open a scoreless game one with a three-run fourth inning behind three hits and two Bulldogs' errors. The Roos ended the game early with a five-run fifth inning that featured four hits and another Drake error. The Bulldogs were held to just three hits.
 
Nicole Timmons (1-2) pitched four innings and allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
 
The two teams close the series Sunday with a single game at noon.