TULSA, Okla. – The Drake softball team took to the diamond for another doubleheader on Saturday afternoon against the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes. The Bulldogs used a late-game explosion to take the first game of the day, 7-2, and suffered a walk-off defeat in the second game by a score of 2-1.
Drake 7, Tulsa 2
The offensive action was limited for both sides in the early goings as starting pitchers
Emma Dighton and Abby Hayes kept the bats quiet. One swing broke the scoreless tie, however.
In the third inning,
Carey Koenig led off the frame with a solo shot to give the Bulldogs the lead. It was the first home run of the year for Koenig.
After a scoreless fourth frame, Tulsa took the lead in the fifth. Maci Cole matched Koenig from earlier with a solo homer of her own to bring the game even at 1-1. Tulsa scored its second run off a bases loaded walk.
Drake needed a response as the contest moved into the seventh and the Bulldogs delivered with a big six-spot on the scoreboard. Back-to-back singles to start the inning put the Bulldogs in good position and then they capitalized on some Tulsa miscues.
A fielding error loaded the bases and a couple pitches later the first Bulldog run came home off a wild pitch. Freshman
Logan Kelley kept the momentum going with a base knock to drive in two more and she eventually came around to score on a fielder's choice. The big inning for the Bulldogs was capped off by an RBI triple off the bat off
Emily Veschak to make it a 7-2 ballgame.
Tulsa threatened to make a rally in the bottom half of the inning loading the bases, but
Molly Hoekstra remained composed in the circle and closed the door to secure the win.
Koenig and
Frankie Rita combined to go 4-for-8 with the runs scored at the dish, while the Bulldogs drew nine walks as a team. Hoekstra earned her first win of the year in a relief appearance tossing 2.2 innings with no hits or runs allowed and four strikeouts.
Tulsa 2, Drake 1
Game two between the Bulldogs and the Golden Hurricanes was a true pitchers duel.
Peyton Driscoll for Drake and Maura Moore for Tulsa matched each other in the circle pitch-for-pitch keeping the offenses limited.
Through six innings of play, the two right-handers had each allowed only five hits to the other side. Moore had tallied five punchouts compared to just one for Driscoll over that span, but the Drake defense stood tall behind Driscoll.
With both pitchers dealing, the difference in the game up to that point came in the third inning caused by more miscues from Tulsa.
Natalee Watts started off the with a single and moved up to second following a sacrifice. She advanced another base due to a wild pitch and then came home to score courtesy of a fielding error.
With Tulsa down to its last at-bats in the bottom of the seventh, the Golden Hurricanes proceeded to wake up. Three consecutive singles off Driscoll tied the game up at 1-1 and put runners on second and third. The walk-off winner came in the next at-bat with Celeste Wood dropping a single into the center field grass.
Despite her solid performance, Driscoll suffered the loss and finished with a final line of 6.1 innings pitched, two earned runs allowed off nine hits, and one strikeout. Meanwhile, Rita and Hoekstra each went 2-for-3 at the dish, respectively.
Drake will conclude its weekend as it changes venues and travels over to Stillwater, Oklahoma to go up against No. 15 Oklahoma State on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for noon and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
