A Drury softball squad that's been home for just two of its first 18 games of the year will play its Great Lakes Valley Conference home openers this weekend, playing host to No. 17 Southern Indiana on Saturday and Bellarmine on Sunday at Thompson Field in Meador Park.

Game times for the Drury doubleheaders are 2 and 4 p.m. both days, as matchups for USI and Bellarmine that were originally scheduled to be played at Missouri Science & Techology in Rolla have been moved to Thompson Field as well this weekend due to wet conditions. S&T will play Bellarmine at 10 a.m. and noon on Saturday and will face USI at 10 a.m. and noon on Sunday both days at Thompson.

Drury comes into the weekend with an 8-10 overall mark aftter going 1-3 last weekend in its GLVC opening-trip to nationally-ranked Indianapolis and Saint Joseph's. Coach Chantiel Wilson's Panthers then picked up a doubleheader split on Tuesday of a non-conference twinbill at Missouri Southern in Joplin, including a 3-0 shutout of the Lions in the nightcap keyed by a complete-game, three-hitter from sophomore pitcher Jessica Kjeldgaard, who struck out seven and walked one.

Kjeldgaard is 4-4 with a 2.68 ERA and Shelby Weissenbach is 4-4 with a 3.27 ERA to pace the Panthers on the mound.

Senior third baseman Carson Forge has once again led the DU offense with her .404 batting average, six homers and 18 RBIs. After an 0-for-10 start to the season at the plate, Forge is 23 for her last 47 (.489). Weissenbach is batting .308 with two homers and seven driven in for the Panthers, who are hitting .249 as a team and limiting their opponents to a .242 batting average.

Southern Indiana is 15-3 overall and 2-2 in the GLVC, but dropped a home doubleheader to Rockhurst on Monday by scores of 7-3 and 6-0. The Screaming Eagles are hitting .331 as a team and have a staff earned run average of 1.76, ranking second in the GLVC in both categories. Brooke Harmening is 10-1 with a 1.17 ERA for USI.

Bellarmine, 13-7 overall and 3-1 in the GLVC prior to Saturday's matchup with S&T, enters the weekend leading the GLVC with a 1.68 ERA - Ally Foster is 8-1 with a 0.80 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 70 innings - and ranking 14th in batting average (.247).

Drury trails Southern Indiana 7-3 and Bellarmine 9-4 in the all-time series with both schools.

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