OZARK – A Clayton Engel RBI double to center in the 10^th inning to score Kaden Helsel led to an 8-7 Drury baseball win over Rockhurst in extra innings at US Baseball Park on Tuesday.
 
Drury improved to 14-13 and 7-5 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference while Rockhurst fell to 5-18 and 2-10 in the league.

After a pair of scoreless opening innings, Drury struck for three runs, two of those coming on a pair of RBI doubles, Nikko Calabro in the third and Ethan Owens in the fourth, followed by a RBI groundout by Jackson Dierenfeldt for a 3-0 advantage after four innings.

The Hawks put up a huge fifth inning by producing six runs on five hits to take a 6-3 lead.   Drury threatened in the bottom half of the fifth and had the bases loaded but Rockhurst reliever Thomas Jones was able to hold.  The Hawks added an insurance run on an RBI double in the seventh to make it a 7-3 lead.  Drury used back to back RBI singles in the seventh by Austin Wood and Brandt Ollinger to pull to within 7-5.

Drury used a double steal and an errant throw at second base allowed Ryan Kayhill to score and cut the Rockhurst lead to 7-6 with no outs in the ninth.   Ethan Owens then tied it up with an RBI sac fly to right that allowed pinch runner Caleb Essick to cross and force extra innings.

Helsel led off the 10^th inning with a double to get into position to score.  Engel who finished the day with back to back hits came through in the clutch with his RBI double to center to plate Helsel and give DU the 8-7 GLVC victory in extras.

Drury outhit the Hawks by a 15-8 tally on the day.  Helsel finished the day with the winning run and earned the win on the mound to improve to 3-3.

Up next for the Drury baseball Panthers will be a single nine inning contest on Wednesday vs. Southwest Baptist at US Baseball Park.  First pitch is set for 4 p.m.