Story by Luke Nankivell
Photo by Taylor Soule
After falling 4-3 in the first half of a doubleheader against Indiana State on Saturday, the Drake softball team evened the series and won 9-1 in the second game.
Junior pitcher Jordan Gronewold started the first game for Drake, allowing two runs and four hits in four innings. Gronewold struck out two batters and walked one.
Indiana State got off to a 2-0 lead in the third inning and was able to hold it until the fifth, when Drake junior Amy Pierce belted a two-run homer to tie the game.
Megan Stone of ISU opened the sixth inning by hitting a homerun, giving ISU a 3-2 lead. That lead didn’t last long, with junior Cortney Wood driving in freshman Seyerra Dubois off a base hit.
ISU responded the next inning and took a 4-3 lead off a blooper to left field. Drake attempted a comeback but left sophomore Rebekah Schmidt stranded at third as ISU took the win.
Both teams struggled bringing runners in, combining for 15 runners left on base.
Gronewold pitched the entire second game for Drake, letting in just one run off four hits. She recorded another two strikeouts and three walks.
Drake lit up the scoreboard first, scoring one in the third inning and adding a pair in the fourth.
Sophomore Hayley Nybo shined in the rematch. By batting three of four, Nybo extended her hitting streak to 13 games. She hit a homerun in the sixth inning to extend Drake’s lead to 4-1.
Drake dominated the sixth inning, having the team bat around the order. The Bulldogs scored six runs in the inning, and after the run rule was enforced, Drake came out with a 9-1 win.
With the win, Gronewold improved to 11-7 for the year. The offensive struggles for Drake disappeared during the second game, recording 11 hits and leaving just four runners on base the entire game.
Along with Nybo, Wood led the Bulldogs with two hits and three RBIs. Pierce had one RBI off two hits and sophomore Laura Brewer had two hits.
The Bulldogs faced Indiana State again Sunday and will play Iowa State Tuesday. Check back in the Thursday edition of The Times-Delphic for the results.
