LIBERTY - Ryan Wadkins' solo homer in the top of the seventh - his second of the day and first two on the season - proved the difference as Drury held off William Jewell 5-4 in the nightcap for a split of their Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader on Saturday.

Jewell mounted a stunning rally in the opener - coming from seven runs down in the bottom of the ninth - to capture a 9-8 victory over the Panthers in the opener.

As a result of the split, Drury is now 26-21-1 overall and 18-15-1 in the GLVC as the league's regular season comes down to doubleheaders around the conference on Sunday. The Panthers will square off twice against Jewell (34-14, 23-11) needing to at least match Missouri-St. Louis (25-15, 17-15 in the league) on Sunday to earn one of the last spots in next week's GLVC Championship post-season tourney in Westfield, Ind. (Drury is the defending champion).

UMSL plays two at West Division leader Quincy (34-13, 25-9) at noon on Sunday. UMSL lost 5-4 and 2-1 at the Hawks on Saturday to slip into sixth in the West standings; the top three teams from each division, plus the next best two (by winning percentage) regardless of division, will comprise the eight-team field at next week's GLVC tourney.

Drury kept hopes of defending its crown next week (May 7-10) alive by mentally and emotionally rebounding after the incredible Game One loss, in which the Panthers' bullpen surrendered eight runs in the bottom of the ninth after DU had received strong efforts from starter Trevor Richards (four hits, one run over seven innings) and a spotless eighth from Nick Costantino.

The Cardinals scored those eight runs on just five hits, taking advantage of one DU error, three walks, a couple of wild pitches, a hit batsmen and two passed balls to win it on Coleman Waheed's two-run, walkoff single.

But the Panthers bounced back nicely, as senior right-hander Austin Faulconer went the seven-inning distance to improve to 5-5 and push his DU career record victory total to 26 wins. Faulconer allowed six hits and four runs (all earned), striking out four and walking two. 

After Wadkins hit a solo homer in the top of the seventh give the Panthers a 5-4 advantage, Jewell had the tying run at third with two outs when Faulconer induced a groundout to second to end it.

Drury had led a 4-1 lead through five slip away when the Cardinals scored three times in the sixth to tie it at 4.

Dallas Williams had three hits and drove in a pair to lead the Panthers in the nightcap, as each team managed just six hits.

Drury had nine hits in the opener, including a 3-for-4 effort with three runs and three RBIs from Wadkins, who homered in that game as well. Williams had two hits and two RBIs in the opener, and Ryan Colombo scored twice and drove in a pair.