OZARK -
Ryan Colombo went 5 for 6 on the day, to help the Drury baseball Panthers earn a GLVC split vs. Truman State Sunday at US Baseball Park. The Bulldogs won the opener 3-1, before Drury claimed the nightcap 10-7.
In the seven inning opener, Truman got on the board with an RBI double in the opening inning.
Dylan Bradshaw, a junior from Lebanon, tied it up for the Panthers on an RBI single in the fourth.
Brendan Trimble broke the 1-1 tie in the top of the seventh, when he doubled home Nick Agliolo, to give Truman a 2-1 lead. Truman tacked on their final run on an RBI single to make it a 3-1 final.
Colombo, Bradshaw, and freshman
Clayton Engel each went 2 for 3 at the plate. Trimble and Charlie Kreh were both 2 for 4 for Truman. Each team finished with eight hits.
Alex Hoffman earned the win, and allowed eight hits in six innings. Peter Young earned his third save of the year.
Austin Simms (3-2), a junior from Blue Springs, struck out eight Bulldogs in 6.2 innings of action, and allowed two runs in the loss.
In the nightcap, Truman jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, and kept the Panthers off the board until the fourth.
Shane Benes crushed an RBI double off the wall in left center to drive home Colombo, and start the Panthers' fourth inning rally. With the bases loaded,
Ryan Kayhill walked in Benes to even the score at 2-2. Freshman DH
Riley Herron capped off a three run, four hit fourth inning, with an RBI single to score
Nic Perkins, and give the Panthers their first lead.
Truman snatched the lead back in the top half of the fifth, when Jason Priest capped off a four run inning with an RBI double that scored three. The Panthers cut the Bulldogs' lead to a run in the fifth, when Perkins singled to right to plate
Caleb Essick and Colombo.
The Panthers came through with a big seventh inning, scoring four runs on four hits to go up 9-6. Doing the damage was Kevin Abernathy (RBI single) and
KK Daniel (two RBI single). Daniel scored his second run of the game on a Truman error for the Panthers' ninth run.
Colombo, who went three for three, singled home pinch runner
Patrick Hoerning in the eighth to make it a 10-7 final.
Alex Stilwell (2-1) held the Bulldogs to one run in the final three innings to claim the win. Kent Frantz (1-6) received the loss for Truman State, and allowed eight of the Panthers' 13 hits. Perkins went 3 for 4 with two RBI's, and scored a run.
The Panthers move to 19-8 and 6-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Truman State now sits at 1-7 in the league, and 8-21 for the season.
The Panthers will hit the road on Tuesday when they take on Southwest Baptist in a non-conference contest in Bolivar. Game time is at 2:30 p.m.
