KANSAS CITY – The Drake University softball team had a late comeback attempt fall short Sunday afternoon in a 7-4 loss at Kansas City in the series finale.
Kansas City (7-1) grabbed control with a six-run third-inning and then held off a seventh-inning charge by Drake (2-6) to complete the series sweep.
Macy Johnson's leadoff home run over the centerfield fence started the game and put the Bulldogs up 1-0.
In the third, Kansas City had four timely hits off
Allie Timmons, including an RBI single, three-run home run and two-run double in the inning, and capitalized on a Drake error. The Bulldogs committed 11 errors in the three losses to the Roos. Kansas City added a run in the fifth with an RBI single off
Mackenzie Hupke.
Aubree Beitzinger was hit by a pitch to start the seventh and pinch hitter
Emily Valtman followed with a double to right center. After
Emma Richards popped out,
Delaney Taylor smashed a single up the middle for her second hit of the game, and it scored Beitzinger. Johnson followed with her own single up the middle that scored Makayla Rice, who had returned to run for Valtman. After a Kansas City pitching change,
Addie Lightner cracked a double to left that plated Taylor and made the score, 7-4. However, Johnson and Lightner were stranded as
Laura Anderson popped up and
Alexia Lara struck out as the comeback attempt fell just short.
Johnson, Lara, Lightner and Taylor each had two hits as the team finished with eight.
Timmons (0-2) took the loss going four innings and she allowed six runs (three earned) on six hits with two walks, two wild pitches and three strikeouts. Hupke pitched two innings and allowed one run on one hit with one wild, two strikeouts and four walks.
Drake visits No. 24 Arkansas March 4 for a 3 p.m. doubleheader. The two games against the Razorbacks starts the Woo Pig Classic for the Bulldogs. They will also play Kansas twice and once against Northwestern State in Fayetteville, Ark.
