DES MOINES, Iowa – Nicole Newman (Madison, Wis.) threw the fourth no-hitter in Missouri Valley Conference Tournament history to help lead the Drake University softball team to a 2-0 win over Valparaiso Friday night at Buel Field.
Top-seeded Drake (42-10) advances to Saturday's title game at 1 p.m. where it will play the winner of Friday's other semifinal matchup between No. 2 Missouri State and No. 3 Southern Illinois.
It is the third no-hitter for Newman, who struck out 15 batters, this season and second against Valparaiso (27-24) this year. With the win, she improved to 20-3 on the season and just missed her first-ever perfect game by allowing two walks.
Drake had five hits in the game, but the Bulldogs did an excellent job of manufacturing both runs.
In the third inning, Macy Johnson (Winterset, Iowa) drew a one-out walk and then stole second base. After Taryn Pena (Columbia, Ill.) struck out, Kailee Smith (Murrieta, Calif.) hit an RBI single to right center field with two outs that scored Johnson for a 1-0 lead.
In the fourth inning, Kelsey Wright (Olathe, Kan.) led off with walk. Abby Buie (Gardner, Kan.) pinch ran for Wright and moved to second on Newman's single through the left side. Tasha Alexander (Eddyville, Iowa) then dropped a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Buie and pinch runner Melissa Schlotzhauer (Pilot Grove, Mo.) to third and second. Mandi Roemmich (West Des Moines, Iowa) then followed with a sacrifice fly to center field that plated Buie and added an insurance run, 2-0.
Newman, who struck out the first nine Crusaders of the contest, didn't allow her first walk until the fifth inning when Jaymee Lawton reached with one out. Newman quickly erased the runner by getting the next two outs. Her next walk started the seventh inning as Addi Burke reached. Newman dug in and retired the next two hitters before striking out Lawton to end the game and send Drake to its seventh MVC Championship game in program history. She struck out the side four times Friday.
Saturday, the Bulldogs will try to win their fourth MVC Tournament title and first since 2008. The winner of the championship game earns the Valley's automatic berth to the 2018 NCAA Tournament.