DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake softball team took to the diamond at Buel Field for the first time this season on Friday afternoon as it hosted the Evansville Purple Aces to begin a three-game conference series, but suffered a loss in six innings, 9-0.
After a scoreless first inning, Evansville got the jump on the Bulldogs and took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second and never looked back. Ashytn Holbrook recorded the first run of the game for the Purple Aces off a double in the gap to right center, which brought in Maliyah Wilkins. A couple batters later, Holbrook came around to score on a base knock by Emma McDonald.
Evansville tacked on two more runs in the third to make it a 4-0 ballgame. Following back-to-back base hits, a Drake fielding error allowed one run to scoot home from second base and place another runner on third for the Purple Aces. In the next at-bat Wilkins reached with a fielder's choice on hard-hit grounder to short with the Bulldogs electing to take the out at second base.
The Purple Aces added a run in the fourth due to a Brooke Voss solo home run and that signaled the end of the day for Drake starting pitcher
Ava Husak.
Ashlynn Sheets was brought on in relief and did have a bit of success against the Evansville lineup retiring the first four batters she faced but ran into trouble in the sixth.
UE went on to score four runs in the frame stretching its lead out to 9-0 putting the Bulldogs in danger of the run-rule. The Purple Aces took advantage of another Drake fielding error to score their first run of the inning and used a pair of RBI singles to bring in the following three runs.
The Drake offense struggled against UE starting pitcher Kate Ridgway as it tallied just two hits in the contest and totaled 10 strikeouts against the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week with game ultimately ending after six innings of play.
Drake and Evansville will be back on the field tomorrow for a doubleheader to close out the series. First pitch for game one from Buel Field is slated for 1 p.m.
