DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University softball team took both games of an MVC doubleheader this afternoon. The Bulldogs used some late-game magic and rode their hot bats to secure the series win over Evansville and jump above .500 for the season.
Drake 3, Evansville 0
A pitchers' duel broke out to start the day as starting hurlers
Molly Hoekstra and Sydney Weatherford faced off. Both pitchers kept the scoreboard clean through the first five innings until Drake (16-14, 4-4) was able to strike.
The Bulldogs plated three runs in the home half of the sixth inning with an RBI single from
Addie Lightner and a two-RBI double from
Destiny Lewis.
The three runs were enough as Hoekstra completely shut down the Purple Aces' (10-26, 5-8) lineup. She logged her second straight complete game with seven innings of work and fanned a career-high 10 batters. The win improved Hoekstra's record to 7-1.
Offensively, Lightner and Lewis were matched by
Emma Dighton with a team-best two hits.
Drake 9, Evansville 2
Drake was able to find some earlier footing in the second matchup of the day.
MaKayla Rice led things off in the bottom of the first with a triple, her league-leading sixth of the year.
Carey Koenig followed with a double to plate Rice before
Emma Dighton singled to center to bring Koenig around.
Evansville bounced back in the second inning with a run of their own before surrendering one back to Drake. A
Haylee Lehman bunt was scooped up just in front of home plate, but the throw sailed into right field and allowed a run to come in.
An Aces' solo shot got them back within a run in the third, but that was the end of their rally as Drake took over. Koenig and Dighton singled in runs in the fourth frame, another Evansville error brought two scores home in the fifth, and an
Addie Lightner long ball settled things at the eventual 9-2 final.
Koenig went 2-for-4 in the nightcap with two runs and two RBI.
Skylar Rigby also scored a pair of runs while Dighton matched with a pair of runs driven in.
Jayme Scheck started and earned the win to improve to 3-5 on the year. She tossed four full innings and struck out five before
Paige Bedsworth came on to close things out.
The Bulldogs and Purple Aces will resume their series tomorrow afternoon. The finale will start at 2 p.m. in Des Moines.
