The stellar pitching they received in a pivotal weekend sweep of Rockhurst continued on into a Tuesday non-conference doubleheader with a 25-win Arkansas Fort Smith team, as Drury picked up a sweep of the Lions with victories of 7-6 and 7-1 at Meador Park.

That pushes the Panthers win streak to eight consecutive games - a season high - and their overall record to 25-20-1 entering a crucial Great Lakes Valley Conference series at William Jewell in Liberty, Mo., on Saturday and Sunday (noon doubleheaders each day). The Panthers are 17-14-1 in the league and sitting in fifth place in the West Division standings, while Jewell is 22-10 in the conference and in second.

In essence heading into the league's final regular season weekend of play, six GLVC West teams are battling for five of the eight available spots in the tourney field, an event won by the Panthers last year in Evansville, Ind. The top three teams from each division, plus the next best two "wildcards" regardless of division, will comprise the eight-team field for the GLVC Championships May 7-10 in Westfield, Ind.

Panther pitchers have allowed three runs or less in five of their last six games, with Tuesday's opener being the exception. The DU pitching staff has seen its season ERA drop from 4.82 to 4.49 over the course of the eight-game winning streak.

"We couldn't have asked any more from our guys to keep momentum going," Drury coach Scott Nasby said. "We had nine scoreless innings today from guys who didn't make the travel team earlier in the year. It's about who gets hot late and has confidence, and we have been playing really well."

Tuesday, the Panthers' bullpen combined for eight consecutive shutout innings spanning the final two (extra) innings of Game One - long enough for the Panthers to pull out a victory on freshman Mike Rafter's walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth - until UAFS broke through with a solo home run from Tyler Lein in the seventh (final) inning of the nightcap to break up the shutout effort from starter (but usual reliever) Aaron Alexander (1-0) and Ryan Wedermyer.

Alexander pitched six shutout innings, allowing just five hits while striking out three and walking one. 

In the opener, the Panthers held a 6-4 lead in the seventh before the Lions (25-18) struck for two runs off DU closer Gage Jacobs to knot the score and force extras in the scheduled seven-inning game. But Andrew Kuhlmann came on and pitched a spotless eighth and ninth, long enough for DU's walkoff heroics.

Tyler Arthur singled to open the bottom of the ninth, Spencer Wilmes reached on a fielder's choice and then stole second, and John Goodrich was intentionally walked to load the bases before Rafter's single up the middle brought home pinch-runner Scott Chesbro with the game-winner.

Wilmes and Goodrich had three hits each to spark Drury's 14-hit attack in the opener. Ryan Wadkins drove in two with a second-inning double on a three-RBI day, while Luke Tewes, Arthur and Rafter had two hits each.

Drury jumped on top of the Lions early in the second game, getting an RBI single from Wilmes in the second and two in the third when Dallas Williams doubled, Rafter singled and both eventually came home on wild pitches for the 3-0 advantage.

The Panthers broke it open with four in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk to Bradshaw, a Williams RBI single, another bases-loaded walk and a wild pitch.

UAFS pitchers combined to issue seven walks, hit two batters and throw four wild pitches in the seven-inning nightcap.