Aces fall in two contests
Facing the Missouri Valley Conference regular season champions, the University of Evansville softball team dropped a pair of contests at Drake on Friday, with game one finishing by a 2-0 tally in favor of the Bulldogs while the second match-up saw UE fall by a 7-0 final.
Game one was an absolute pitcher’s duel with Emily Lockhart and Nicole Newman going head-to-head in the circle. Lockhart did not allow a hit for UE (19-28, 9-15 MVC) until the sixth inning while Newman tossed a perfect game for the Bulldogs (39-14, 23-2 MVC).
Newman fanned the first 16 Evansville batters over the first 5 1/3 innings, but Lockhart kept it scoreless, allowing just two baserunners through five innings. Drake recorded the first hit of the day in the sixth and pushed across two runs, including an RBI from Newman. The Bulldogs were able to hang on for the 2-0 win.
In Friday’s second game, DU starter Nicole Timmons followed up Newman’s perfect game with a no-hitter of her own. She did not allow a baserunner until Jessica Fehr reached first base in the fifth inning on a wild pitch following a strikeout. She was able to escape with any damage. Timmons also overcame a walk to Katie McLean in the seventh.
Drake’s offense came alive with a pair of runs in both the first and third innings before they put the game away with three in the sixth. Taryn Pena got the Bulldogs on the board with a home run in the first while Mandi Roemmich added a 2-RBI hit in the sixth.
