Drury won the opener 8-7 and fell 4-2 in the nightcap for a split Saturday afternoon of their Great Lakes Valley Conferece doubleheader with Truman State at Meador Park.

The Bulldogs (22-11, 13-8) will take a 2-1 lead into Sunday's series finale, a nine-inning game with a noon start at Meador. Drury is now 15-16-1 and 10-10-1 after Saturday's pair of seven-inning contests.

Coach Scott Nasby's Panthers gave up two runs in the first inning of Saturday's opener, but rallied with two in the bottom of the frame - on a Michael Pfeifer RBI single and a Tyler Arthur sacrifice fly - and then five runs in the second to snag a 7-2 advantage. Dallas Williams smacked a three-run homer and Michael Magno had a two-run single to spark the second-inning flurry.

The teams traded single runs in the fifth and sixth innings before Truman made it interesting with a four-run seventh before Gage Jacobs came on to record the final out for his ninth save. 

Ryan Colombo was the starter and winner (4-1) for the Panthers, going 6 2/3 innings and allowing 10 hits and seven runs (five earned), striking out four and walking one.

Ryan Wadkins had two of DU's 10 hits as the Panthers matched the Bulldogs in that regard.

Game Two on Saturday saw Truman starter Kent Frantz (6-0) stifle the Panthers for five innings as his Bulldogs staked him to a 4-0 lead off DU starter Austin Faulconer (3-4). 

But the Panthers scored twice in the sixth on a Luke Tewes two-run single, yet couldn't close the gap any further as they were outhit 13-6 by the Bulldogs.

Tewes was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Williams was 2-for-3 with a run scored to lead DU. 

Blake Deaton went 3-for-4 with four driven in to pace the Bulldogs, while Jarod Hahn added three hits in four at-bats and scored three times.

Sunday's series finale can be viewed in a free, live webcast at www.drurypanthers.com/watch.