Game 1
Game 2
DES MOINES, Iowa—The University of Evansville softball team came up just short in two games against Drake at Buel Field on Saturday in the second weekend of Missouri Valley Conference play. The Aces could not hold on to a two-run lead in the first game, dropping it 6-5 and coming up a run short in a 7-6 loss in the second game.
Game 1
Three Aces’ home runs were not enough as the Bulldogs rallied for three runs in the bottom half of the seventh inning to take a heartbreaking 6-5 win over the Aces.
The Aces took an early 2-0 lead in the second inning on Lissa Fehlman’s second home run of the season to drive in Amanda Ockomon. The Bulldogs would take the lead with a run in the second and two in the third on a two-run single by Molly McClelland.
The Aces regained the lead in the fifth inning on Fehlman’s second two-run home run of the game to score Jen Stahlhut. The put up an insurance run in the top of the seventh with Krista Price’s second home run of the season to take a 5-3 lead.
Drake’s Bridget Shields quickly made it a one run game with a home run to lead off the bottom half of the seventh. McClelland tied the game with a sacrifice bunt that scored Torey Craddock. Carrie Hatfield had the winning RBI dropping down a sacrifice bunt to score Jenna DeLong.
Fehlman was 2-for-3 at the plate with two two-run home runs while Price also had a double and a home run. Stahlhut had two hits in the game and Ockomon had one of the Aces’ seven hits.
Kylie Wagner was tagged with the loss, giving up six earned runs on 10 hits with four walks and five strikeouts. Jenna DeLong took the win pitching two-thirds of an inning of work and giving up a hit. Brynne Dordel started the game and went six and a third innings with five runs and six hits with four walks and six strikeouts.
Game 2
The Aces took a 4-0 lead into the bottom half of the fifth inning but came up a run short in the end, dropping the second game of the day by a score of 7-6.
The Aces took advantage of a Drake error to extend the first inning and plate two runs. Price led off the game with double and advanced to third on a passed ball before scoring on an error as Kelci Alsip reached base. With two outs in the inning, Kylie Wagner sent a ball up the middle to score Alsip to give the Aces a 2-0 lead.
Alsip scored a run in the third inning by drawing a walk to lead off the inning and scoring on a long double by Stahlhut to give the Aces a 3-0 lead. Stahlhut extended the Aces lead to 4-0 with her second home run of the season in the fifth inning.
Drake exploded for five runs in the bottom half of the fifth to take a one run lead. Carrie Hatfield led off the inning with a triple. Elena Leon drew a one-out walk before Shields drove in both runners with a double down the left field line. Craddock drove in Shields on a RBI single. DeLong capped off the inning with a two-run double to plate Craddock and McClelland.
Drake extended their lead to 7-4 with a two-run home run by Leon in the sixth.
The Aces rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh with Price singling to lead off the inning. Alsip doubled before Stahlhut drove in both runs with a double.
Stahlhut paced the Aces’ offense with three hits including a double and a home run with four RBI. Price had two hits in the game while Alsip Wagner, Shirk, and Gaertner were all credited with base hits.
McKee was tagged with the loss, going 4.1 innings and giving up five runs on seven hits with four strikeouts. Wagner pitcher 1.2 innings in relief and gave up two runs on two hits. Dordel picked up the win in reliefof DeLong, pitching an inning and giving up two runs on four hits.
The Aces (5-15, 0-5) and Bulldogs (17-12, 3-2) will conclude the three-game series on Sunday with a single game at noon at Buel Field.
