RENSSELAER, Ind. - Drury's baseball Panthers came away with their first tie in the program's nine-year history on Sunday evening when their Great Lakes Valley Conference series finale at Saint Joseph's was deemed a 4-4 tie in the middle of the 11th inning due to darkness (the SJC field doesn't have lights).

The Panthers dropped a 3-2 decision to the Pumas in the 13-inning opener - tied for the second-longest game in the program's history - but came away with a 2-1-1 record in the four-game series after sweeping Saturday's doubleheader.

The finale will officially be a tie in the GLVC standings, leaving the Panthers now at 8-8-1 overall and 4-3-1 in the league.

Saint Joseph's fell to 6-10-1 and 2-5-1, but held the Panther bats at bay for the most part for 24 innings on Sunday. 

Drury struck out 37 times over the 24 innings on Sunday, including a school-record 23 times in the 13-inning loss in the opener. Saint Joseph's starting pitcher Brian Bayliss fanned 14 Panthers in his eight innings of work, while reliever Robert Kametas (2-2) struck out nine more in five innings of scoreless relief work.

"It was unfortunate that we couldn't finish the series," Drury coach Scott Nasby said. "Saint Joseph's has the best pitching staff I've seen since I've been coaching. They have four guys who are as good, if not the best, as anybody in the league. 

"We had a chance to come home with three wins while not swinging it very well, but instead, we were able to get two wins and take the series."

Sophomore Ryan Colombo gave the Panthers eight strong innings in Sunday's opener, allowing nine hits and two runs while striking out six as a 2-2 tie after four innings stayed that way until the Pumas pushed across the game-winner in the bottom of the 13th when Joe Sturino ended it with an RBI single off freshman reliever Matthew Tipton (0-1). 

Freshman Mike Rafter had two of Drury's five hits as the Panthers were out-hit 14-5 in the opener. DU scored in the first on a Luke Tewes RBI groundout and in the fourth when Tewes smacked his sixth homer of the season, a solo shot.

In the series finale, scheduled for seven innings, the Panthers led 2-0 - a Spencer Wilmes RBI single in the second, Tewes doubled and came around to score on an error in the fourth - until SJC scored a single run in the bottom of the fifth. Down 2-1, the Pumas then pushed across the tying run - thanks to a DU error - in the seventh to force extras.

Drury junior Conner Wilson smacked a two-run homer in the top of the eighth to put the Panthers up 4-2, but the Pumas countered with two in the bottom of the eighth off freshman reliever Ryan Wedermeyer, one of six pitchers used by the Panthers in the nightcap. Luke Burnidge went 4 2/3 innings as the starter, allowing three hits and one run while striking out five and walking none.

Tewes and Wilmes had two hits each for the Panthers, who struck out nine times off SJC starter K Long. 

Drury returns home for GLVC play next weekend, hosting Maryville in a four-game series that begins Friday at 5 p.m. with a single nine-inning game at Meador Park. The Saints and Panthers will play two on Saturday starting at noon, and a single nine to close out the series at noon on Sunday.