Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 TUCSON, Ariz. – The Bulldogs softball team (5-2) split a pair of Friday afternoon matchup on the second day of the Hillenbrand Invitational. Drake opened the day with a comeback victory over Central Michigan (1-6) in extra innings before falling to a high-powered Marshall (7-4) squad in the Friday finale.
 
Drake 5, Central Michigan 4 (8 innings)
Central Michigan owned much of the day's first contest as the Chippewas scored four runs in the first two innings. Bryn Elsenpeter walked home a run before Michaleigh Vallimont doubled through the left side two drive in two more. The Chippewas capped off their 4-0 start with a Carly Sleeman double.
 
Drake got their comeback effort started in the fourth inning when Molly Hoekstra, the Bulldogs' starting pitcher, singled up the middle to get on the board. Drake added another tally in the fifth inning when Abby Martin grounded into a double play that allowed Allie Bishoff to score.
 
The Bulldogs continued their rally in the sixth inning when Carey Koenig came through with another RBI groundout to make it 4-3 in favor of Central Michigan. Emma Dighton then singled to left center to bring Ellie Lynch around and knot the score at four apiece. Drake survived the home half of the sixth inning and worked through a scoreless seventh as the game went to extras.
 
Koenig came through again in the top half of the eighth inning with an RBI double. MaKayla Rice scored on the play as Drake went up 5-4, a lead they would not relinquish as the Bulldogs held on for their fifth victory of the season.
 
Koenig, Dighton, and Hoekstra each logged three base hits against Central Michigan while Koenig's two RBI led the team. MaKayla Rice scored a pair of runs to lead Drake in that category.
 
Hoekstra threw 2.1 innings and struck out one Chippewa batter. Paige Bedsworth came on and tossed 5.2 innings in relief with three K's and no runs allowed.
 
Marshall 7, Drake 3
Marshall got the scoring started in the Friday finale as Abby Darnley delivered a sacrifice fly in the opening frame. Sydney Bickel singled to center in the second inning to extend Marshall's lead to 2-0.
 
The Bulldogs answered in the second stanza when Addie Lightner doubled to bring Destiny Lewis around. Lewis took her turn at the plate in the next inning with a double of her own that caused an error by the Thundering Herd. Allie Bishoff and Emma Dighton scored on the play.
 
Drake's three runs across the second and third innings were the only they were able to produce as Marshall took control. The Thundering Herd tied the score in the fifth frame and eventually broke things open in the top of the seventh with four more scores. Marshall held off Drake in the final half to win, 7-3.
 
Dighton went 2-for-3 in the matchup with Marshall to lead the team. She also took the loss in the circle after pitching a solid 6.1 innings. Dighton (0-1) struck out four Herd hitters in her first losing outing of the season.
 
Elsewhere, Lewis produced a hit in two at bats while Addie Lightner went 1-for-3.
 
The Bulldogs will finish up their trip to Tucson tomorrow with a rematch against Central Michigan at 10 a.m. and a date with Indiana at noon.