DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake softball team (17-32, 10-16) welcomed one of three newcomers in the Missouri Valley Conference to Des Moines this weekend. The Bulldogs started their final homestand of the year, and final overall series of the regular season, against the Flames of UIC (8-42, 6-20). After a Friday night postponement, both teams ended the first day of competition with a win.
 
Drake 3, UIC 0
The Bulldogs began the day with a defensive masterpiece led by ace pitcher Mackenzie Hupke. The senior righty logged a career-high 13 strikeouts for the third time this season and three a dominant six innings to improve to an even 8-8 on the year.
 
Drake got offensive production early as Sami Miller walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second to get the Bulldogs on the board.
 
Emma Dighton made her mark, hitting a sizzling line drive over the left field fence that got out of the park in a hurry.
 
Leading 2-0 in the fifth, Emily Valtman provided the final insurance run on a fielder's choice that allowed Haylee Lehman to score. The three runs were all Drake needed as Hupke, and Dighton for an inning in the circle, held the Flames scoreless for the victory.
 
Carey Koenig and Aubree Beitzinger, who left the game with an injury in the sixth inning, led Drake with two hits each. Koenig was also one of three players to score for the Bulldogs while Dighton's two RBI led the team.
 
 
UIC 5, Drake 4
Drake started the second game of the day in similar fashion, loading the bases before senior catcher Kristen Arias was hit by a pitch to drive in the match's first run.
 
UIC countered, though, scoring their first three runs of the series in the top of the second on an RBI single by Larisa Villa and a two-RBI double off the bat of leadoff hitter Hailey Cowing.
 
Drake scraped across another run in the home portion of the second frame when Heidi Wheeler came home on an error, keeping the deficit at just one run.
 
Both teams then played through two scoreless innings before the Flames took control. Dee Dee Caskey doubled in the fifth to make it 4-2 in favor of the visitors before a Bulldog error allowed Alannah Cran to come home safely in the top of the seventh.
 
Down to their final three outs in the bottom of the seventh, Kristen Arias attempted to start another rally for Drake, singling through the left side to plate Carey Koenig. Paige Bedsworth nearly made up for her pitching loss with a single swing as she flew out to the warning track in left field but sacrificed Sami Miller home.
 
However, UIC's ace pitcher Christina Toniolo came on in the seventh to earn the save and slam the door on Drake as the Flames picked up just their eighth win of the season, 5-4.
 
Haylee Lehman, Carey Koenig, and Sami Miller all logged multiple and scored a run in the final game of the day. Arias's two RBI led Drake in that category.
 
In the circle, Bedsworth struck out seven batters to tie her career high but dropped to 2-7 on the year after taking the loss.
 

The Bulldogs and Flames will conclude their series and the regular season tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. Three Bulldog seniors will be honored prior to first pitch of the rubber match.