DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake softball team suffered a series sweep to the Evansville Purple Aces this weekend following two losses in a doubleheader from Buel Field on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs dropped game one by a score of 5-3 and nearly pulled off a miraculous comeback in game two, but came up just short and lost 9-7.
 
Evansville 5, Drake 3
The first game of the day between the Bulldogs and Purple Aces was the lower scoring affair as the two sides went back-and-forth for nearly all seven innings, but one swing in the top of the seventh saw Evansville claim its first victory of the day.
 
Following a scoreless opening frame, Evansville was first to put a run on the scoreboard with a sacrifice fly off the bat of Ashtyn Holbrook. Maliyah Wilkins scored the run after leading off with a base knock, advancing to second on a wild pitched, and moved to third with a sacrifice bunt.
 
Drake matched Evansville in its half of the inning, however, and knotted the game up at 1-1 due to a double that was launched out to deep right field from Haley Schroeder. Ava Husak led off the inning for Drake with a walk and was the one who scored off the Schroeder two-bagger.
 
Evansville gained its lead right back in the third inning though off a Niki Bode double that scored Emma McDonald.
 
While Drake didn't score in the third, it did tie the game back up in the fourth. Schroeder got on base for the second time in the contest taking one for the team and was hit by a pitch and then was promptly pushed into scoring position due to a sac bunt by Emily Veschak. In the next at-bat Lili Gonzalez blooped a base hit into no-man's land in shallow right field, which allowed Schroeder to use her speed and race home.
 
The trading of runs continued in the fifth as Evansville plated one following a leadoff double by Angela Valentine who eventually scored after consecutive groundouts advanced her around the base paths. Drake once again countered and took advantage of some patience at the plate leading to a bases loaded walked in run and the game was tied again.
 
With the score still tied at 3-3 in the seventh, Cassidy Gall was called in for relief duty from the pitcher's circle for Drake to face her former team. The sophomore put down the first two batters in the frame, but McDonald, the No. 9 hitter in Evansville's lineup, kept the inning alive with a double in the left center field gap. With the lineup now turned back over to the top, the Purple Aces and Brooke Voss delivered the dagger with a game-winning two-run home run in the next at-bat.
 
The Bulldogs did produce two runners on base in the bottom of the seventh, but reigning Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week, Kate Ridgway, struck out the side and ended the threat from Drake.
 
Evansville 9, Drake 7
The second game couldn't have started much worse for the Bulldogs as they faced a 4-0 deficit following the first inning. Evansville hit a pair of home runs, a solo shot and a two-run long ball, to go along with an RBI double to gain the early advantage.
 
Drake also suffered the loss of its starting pitcher Jayme Scheck after two-thirds of the first inning when she took a line shot off her leg forcing her to come out of the game.
 
Ashlynn Sheets was called in to relieve the injured Scheck and despite allowing a homer in the first, the junior eventually settled in and held Evansville scoreless for the following three innings.
 
The Bulldogs ran into trouble again in the top of the fifth, however. After being held in check, the Evansville bats woke up again and launched three more home runs putting the Bulldogs in an 8-0 hole and in danger of being run-ruled for the second time this weekend.
 
Needing to score to keep the game alive, Drake was finally able to get on the scoreboard with a home run of its own, a two-run blast by Ava Husak. Her homer sparked a bit of life in the Bulldogs as they cut the deficit down to 8-4 with two more runs coming home to score off an Evansville error and a pinch-hit base knock by Maia Bentely.
 
The Purple Aces weren't done hitting homers, though. In the top of the fifth Bode continued the power surge and recorded the sixth home run of the game for Evansville with a solo shot and put the lead back up to 9-4.
 
Drake tried its best for one last rally in the bottom of the seventh and proceeded to score three runs starting with a Tatum Aragon pinch-hit single, but it ultimately wasn't enough. Kiley Kindelspire recorded an RBI with a sac fly one batter later and then the Bulldogs loaded the bases tallying two more walks for Schroeder only for her to get tagged with another hit by pitch but scoring a run in the process. The game ended on the next at-bat off an Ava Curry fly out to left field leaving the bases juiced.
 
The Bulldogs will lace up their cleats and take to the diamond next for a midweek doubleheader against Bradley from Buel Field on Tuesday, March 31. First pitch for game one of the twin bill is scheduled for 3 p.m.