WARRENSBURG – Central Missouri scored a pair of runs in the ninth inning to earn a 4-3 non-conference victory over the Drury baseball Panthers at Crane Stadium/Tompkins Field on Wednesday.
 
The Panthers drop to 6-8 and Central Missouri improved to 12-5.
 
The Mules homered in the opening frame and crossed a run on a sac fly in the third to go up 2-0 in the early part of the contest.  Drury scored all of their runs in the fourth and fifth innings to go on top of the Mules 3-2.  An RBI groundout by Collin Fraley and an RBI single by Nikko Calabro accounted the Panther runs in the fourth.  Drury's final tally came in the following inning when Caleb Essick singled to bring home Cole Dunham. 

Drury held a one run lead until the final inning when Central Missouri used an RBI single and a game winning RBI double with two outs to edge out the win 4-3.

Calabro went 2-for-4 with an RBI to pace the Panther bats, who outhit the Mules 9-6 on the day.  Alex Austin (0-2) received the loss in 0.2 innings and the Mules Conner Gremer (1-0) threw the final inning for the win.

Drury will open Great Lakes Valley Conference play on Saturday in a single nine inning contest with first pitch set for a 3 p.m. start at US Baseball Park vs. Southern Indiana.  DU will host the Screaming Eagles in a noon pair to conclude the series on Sunday.