TUCSON, Ariz. – The Drake softball team wrapped up its time at the Bear Down Fiesta on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader against Coastal Carolina and Creighton. The Bulldogs fell in extra innings, 14-13, in the first game of the day against the Chanticleers and lost to the Bluejays by a score of 3-2 in five innings in game two.
 
Coastal Carolina 14, Drake 13
Drake was out to a strong start as it went up in the bottom of the first inning, 4-0, off a grand slam from junior Natalee Watts. The Clive, Iowa native continued her power surge at the plate marking her third home run of the tournament and her fifth long ball of the year.
 
The lead for the Bulldogs was shortly lived, however. Coastal Carolina came right back in the top of the second and hung seven runs in the frame to overtake the lead. The Chanticleers used a bevy of extra base hits, two doubles and two home runs, along with an RBI single to produce the damage.
 
Following a scoreless third inning, Coastal added to its lead in the fourth with another long ball from Georgia Hood to make the score 8-4. It was Hood's second home run of the game.
 
The Bulldogs managed to chip away at the deficit and eventually pulled within a run, 8-7, at the end of the fourth inning. Drake put up three runs in the frame with a two-run blast by Anniston Reith and an RBI base knock tallied by Pearson Hall.
 
In the fifth inning, Drake had an opportunity with bases loaded to retake the lead, but managed just one run to tie the game. Kiley Kindelspire took one for the team with a hit by pitch allowing a run to cross the plate.
 
Coastal reclaimed its lead in the sixth and scored one run, but in the home half of the inning the Bulldogs finally jumped back in front. The first run for Drake came via Cassidy Gall stealing home after she checked into the game as pinch runner. A couple of batters later Reith came through with her second homer of the game, a three-run deep fly, moving the score to 12-9 Bulldogs.
 
The back-and-forth action continued, however, in the seventh. Needing just three outs to secure the comeback, Drake unfortunately gave up a three-run home run to the Chanticleers knotting the score back even at 12-12.
 
The game then moved to extras and Coastal, once again, used the long ball to go ahead. The fifth homer of the game for Coastal, a two-run shot by McKennah Metzger, proved to be difference as Drake managed just one run in its frame on an Ava Husak sacrifice fly.
 
Creighton 3, Drake 2
The second game of the day for the Bulldogs was a much lower scoring affair than game one and was played in only five innings.
 
The Bulldogs were trailing from the get-go against the Bluejays as Creighton started off the game with a leadoff home run by Lily West in the bottom of the first inning. With the homer being a solo shot, the damage was limited and Drake bounced right back in the second.
 
Frankie Rita drove in the tying run with a groundout after Ava Curry and Watts started off the frame going back-to-back with a single and double. Consecutive strikeouts, however, put an end to the Bulldogs at-bats.
 
The third inning went scoreless and it was in the fourth when Creighton regained its lead. The Bluejays began the inning with a double and went on a roll from there getting a base knock and another double to score two runs and make it a 3-1 ballgame.
 
That second run proved to be the difference as Drake got one back in the fifth off another RBI groundout, this time by Kindelspire, but that was all the Bulldogs could muster.
 
Drake will have next week off before it heads to Columbia, Missouri for its next non-conference tournament at the Mizzou Invitational. The Bulldogs will play five games from Feb. 27-March 1 against Miami (OH), Missouri, and Wichita State.