TULSA, Okla. – The Drake softball team began its weekend in the Sooner State with a pair of games on Friday. The Bulldogs took down Kansas City in their first game of the day, 6-3, but fell to Tulsa in game two, 4-2.
Drake 6, Kansas City 3
The scoring started early between the Roos and the Bulldogs with each team scoring a run in the first inning. Kansas City was first on the scoreboard with an RBI groundout by Derika Castillo, but Drake matched in the bottom half of the inning with an
Emma Dighton RBI double.
In the third, Drake took advantage of a bases loaded opportunity to claim the lead. The Bulldogs scored two runs with the bases juiced as
Tatum Aragon knocked in the first run with a single up the middle.
Ava Curry scored the second run coming home off a wild pitch.
Dighton tallied her second RBI of the game in the fourth bringing in
Sam Tourtillott on a fielders choice, but her biggest swing of the game came in the bottom of the sixth. With one on and two outs, the senior provided key insurance runs going yard with her second home run of the season.
The Roos tried to make a rally in the seventh, scoring one run with another RBI groundout by Castillo, but the Bulldogs put an end to the comeback attempt and secured the win.
At the plate, Dighton provided the majority of the offense for the Bulldogs driving in four runs and was the lone Drake player with multiple hits. In the circle,
Jayme Scheck picked up her second win of the season after tossing 5.2 innings with three strikeouts. Molly Hokestra pitched 1.1 innings in relief with one strikeout and two hits allowed.
Tulsa 4, Drake 2
In the night cap against Tulsa, it was a duel in the pitcher's circle as the first three frames went scoreless. Drake's
Paige Bedsworth had her stuff working and didn't allow a hit to the Golden Hurricanes over that span. Meanwhile, Bedsworth's counterpart, Brinly Maples also posted a zero in the hit column.
The fourth inning was when the scoreless tie was broken. The Bulldogs claimed the first run of the game after Dighton led off the inning with a double. A wild pitch allowed Dighton to move up to third base and Curry drove her in a couple pitches later with a sacrifice fly.
When the inning flipped over to the home half, however, Tulsa had an answer. The Golden Hurricanes finally got to Bedsworth with a two-run homer by Annika Dill to give them a 2-1 lead.
It didn't take long for Drake to tie the game right back, though. Following a base knock from
Carey Koenig,
Frankie Rita smoked a triple down the right field line in the fifth bringing the game even at 2-2.
A pair of back-to-back singles from Tulsa in the sixth proved to deciding factor in the game. The two base knocks led to two runs on the scoreboard giving the Golden Hurricanes the lead and the win.
The four hits in the game for Drake all came from the first four hitters in the lineup. Hoekstra, who came on in relief, was credited with the loss after 3.0 innings.
The Bulldogs are back on the diamond tomorrow with another doubleheader against Tulsa. Game 1 is slated for 1:00 p.m. and Game 2 will start approximately around 3:30 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
