ROLLA - Harrison Waters and Drury won a pitcher's duel 3-1 in the opener, then held off a strong Missouri Science and Technology comeback in the second game for a 9-8 victory over the Miners for a doubleheader sweep of their Great Lakes Valley Conference series on Sunday.
The Panthers moved to 18-16 overall, 7-4 in all GLVC games and 4-7 in the GLVC West by taking three of four from the Miners (10-23, 4-7, 3-4), including the final three games of the series. The GLVC West games are of utmost importance, since they alone will determine the field for the GLVC Tournament May 7-10 in Sauget, Ill., with the top three finishers in each division making the six-team field.
Drury rode a strong pitching effort from junior right-hander Stephen Bloss in the nightcap, as Bloss shut out the Miners for six innings on just one hit as Drury took a 2-0 lead, on an earlier Tyler Goss two-run homer, into the seventh before things got wild, as the teams combined for a 15-run frame.
The Panthers tacked on seven runs in the seventh - keyed by R.J. Knese's three-run homer, his first of the season - to take a 9-0 lead into the bottom of the inning.
They were cruising behind the arm of Bloss (2-2), who struck out a career-high nine and walked just two in allowing three hits in his six innings of work, before the Miners charged back with eight runs in the seventh, including three off of Bloss to chase him from his best start of the season.
But after some early shakey moments in the seventh, the DU bullpen kept it there at 9-8, with closer Zane Montgomery working out of an eighth-inning jam to pick up his sixth save on the season.
The Panthers amassed 14 hits in the nightcap, Kendall Findley, Tyler Goss, Dane Hughes, Tyler Wright and Joel Potts had two hits each. Knese brought three home with his seventh-inning blast, while Goss and Jason Hall drove home two each.
Junior lefty Waters (5-1) pitched a three-hitter in the seven-inning opener, striking out seven, and the Panthers pushed across two runs in the sixth to break a 1-all tie.
Bret Gallion singled and came around to score on a Miners' balk and Joe Rohlfing's RBI fielder's choice scored Findley with the third run.
Knese had two of Drury's four hits. The sophomore catcher/outfielder went 6-for-13 with five RBIs in the final three games of the series to pace the DU offense.
Waters gave up only an unearned run in his seven innings and hasn't allowed an earned run in his last two starts, covering 12 innings.
Drury takes a break from GLVC play next weekend, travelling to Melbourne, Fla., to face Florida Tech in a three-game series on Friday and Saturday.
"I'm hoping going down to Florida now, the beast has been released," said Drury coach Mark Stratton of a DU offense that came alive in Sunday's finale. "I'm hoping the worm is turning ... and we're just getting outstanding pitching right now."
Game 1 Box
Game 2 Box