DES MOINES, Iowa – Indiana State's offense couldn't match the timely hitting of the Drake Bulldogs, falling in consecutive 5-0 losses to Drake in a doubleheader to open the series on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Sycamores (15-16, 2-6 MVC) had no answer for the defensive shift that Drake (18-16, 2-6 MVC) put on display on Saturday, tallying just 11 total hits across both games whereas Drake put up 11 hits in the first game alone.
 
Indiana State and Drake will conclude the series on Sunday morning, with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m. ET. Fans can watch live on The Valley on ESPN3.
 
Game One:
Drake (17-16, 1-6 MVC), 5
Indiana State (15-15, 2-5 MVC), 0
WP: Kailee Smith (8-11)
LP: Kenzie Ihle (11-8)
 
Drake scored at least one run in each of the first four innings as a Bulldog offensive assault and strong pitching held the Sycamores scoreless in a 5-0 loss in Game One.
 
Kenzie Ihle (11-8) pitched 5.2 innings, but the Drake offense awoke for 11 hits and five earned runs – including two round-trippers.
 
Sophomore Brooke Mann broke out of a recent slump with a 2-for-3 performance to pace the Sycamore offense, ripping a double into right-center in the second inning and then a frozen-rope single to center in the fourth, but would remain on-base both innings.
 
Also recording hits were Mary Turitto (1-3), Rylee Holland (1-3) and Leslie Sims (1-3).
 
Game Two:
Drake (18-16, 2-6 MVC), 5
Indiana State (15-16, 2-6 MVC), 0
WP: Kailee Smith (9-11)
LP: Kylie Stober (1-8)
 
Junior Kylie Stober picked up right where she left off from her terrific outing against Ball State on Wednesday, in which she took the loss in an eight-inning gem. Against the Cardinals, Stober did not allow a hit over the final seven innings she pitched – a streak she continued in the first few innings against Drake in Game Two.
 
Stober opened with three scoreless and hitless innings – extending her hitless streak to 10.0 innings pitched before Drake broke that open in the fourth inning. In that inning, Drake took a 3-0 lead it would never relinquish – including scoring one on a sac-fly double play, Indiana State's third double play of the day. The Sycamores entered the weekend ranked 10th nationally with 16 double plays.
 
Drake added one each in the fifth and sixth to take a 5-0 lead – despite Stober only allowing three hits all day and the Sycamores mustering six themselves.
 
Freshman Leslie Sims had a stellar game, going 3-for-4 with her first two career doubles. On the day, Sims went 4-for-7 – improving her season batting average to .457. She also owns a .522 average in Valley games. Entering this weekend, Sims ranked No. 4 in the Valley with a .444 average.
 
Also having a great day at the plate in Game Two was none other than pitcher Kylie Stober in her first three at-bats as a Sycamore. Stober went 2-for-3 with two singles, her first two career hits. While at Minnesota, Stober recorded a strikeout and walk in two plate appearances in two seasons.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Softball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.