COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Drake University softball team dropped a pair of games to Power 5 foes Sunday on the final day of the Mizzou Tournament.
Drake (4-13) lost to in-state rival Iowa State (RV), 6-3, before No. 17 Missouri won 10-2 in five innings.
Iowa State put two runs on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first inning.
Nicole Timmons allowed back-to-back doubles allowing the first run and then issued two-straight walks.
Mackenzie Hupke replaced Timmons and another run scored on a bases loaded walk. Hupke escaped further trouble getting out of the inning.
Addie Lightner slugged her second home run, a solo blast, in the fourth cutting the Bulldogs' deficit to 2-1. The Cyclones scored two more runs in the fifth inning to lead 4-1.
Drake, which had left a base runner on third base in three innings, broke through in the sixth.
Delaney Taylor led off with a single and scored when
Emily Valtman followed with a double to left center. After Lightner walked,
Alexia Lara struck out, pinch hitter
Emma Richards doubled down the left field line to score Valtman and make it one-run game at 6-3. The Bulldogs couldn't add anymore as
Laura Anderson and
Haylee Lehman were retired.
Iowa State added two insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth off
Allie Timmons, who had relieved Hupke.
Libby Ryan and Valtman singled in the seventh but Lightner fouled out to left to end the game.
Timmons (2-5) took the loss after not retiring a batter. She allowed two runs on two hits with two walks. Hupke went five innings and allowed two runs on five hits with four walks and six strikeouts.
One day after hanging tough with Missouri, Johnson dropped a perfect bunt for a single and moved to second on Ryan's groundout, in the first inning. Taylor followed with a walk to put runners on second and first with one out. But, Valtman and Lightner each struck out swinging to end the threat.
The Tigers scored three runs in the bottom of the second and never looked back. They five runs in the fourth and ended the game early with two runs in the fifth.
Drake's runs came off Johnson's RBI single and later she scored on a wild pitch.
Emma Richards (1-4) struggled in the circle. Richards allowed 10 runs (six earned) on nine hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
Drake starts Missouri Valley Conference play at SIU, which sits atop the league standings, on March 20-21.
