Box Score

TUCSON - The Loyola University Chicago softball team continued action at the Hillenbrand Invitational on Friday afternoon with a matchup against Missouri Valley rival Drake. The Ramblers were unable to keep up with the Bulldogs, falling 9-1 in five innings. The loss drops Loyola to 3-3 on the season.

"Our energy and focus were not where they needed to be in order to compete with a good team like Drake," said head coach Jeff Tylka. "We need to keep learning to pick each other up and move on to the next play."

Drake jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the first inning, scoring two runs on a pair of Rambler errors and a double, followed by a two-run single. The Bulldogs added two more runs on three hits in the bottom of the second to increase the lead to 6-0 before being held scoreless in the third. At the bottom of the fourth, Drake loaded the bases before a wild pitch allowed the Bulldogs to score, increasing the Bulldog lead to 7-0.

The Ramblers' only hit of the day came at the top of the fifth inning, when Jamie O'Brien hit a leadoff double. Katy LaCivita was then hit by a pitch and Jacquelyn Murphy walked to advance O'Brien to third base before a sac fly from Brie Pasquale brought her home, making the score 7-1. Drake was able to end the game at the bottom of the fifth, knocking in two runs on one hit and one Rambler error, to get the 9-1 run-rule victory.

Loyola is back in action tomorrow, taking on host No. 14 Arizona at 7 p.m. CT, followed by a matchup against San Jose State at 9 p.m. CT.