OZARK, Mo. — The Drury Panthers split a non-conference pair against Winona State, taking the nightcap 16-4 after falling 6-1 in the opener on Saturday at US Baseball Park in Ozark.
In the opener, both teams got on the board in the opening frame, the Warriors took advantage of a wild pitch and DU posted an RBI groundout by
Aaron Mann to plate
Jackson Dierenfeldt. RBI hits in the fifth and sixth innings by Winona State extended the WSU lead to 5-1 after six innings. The Warriors added their final run in the eighth inning on a wild pitch.
Aaron Mutter (3-1) allowed just one run in seven innings in the win for Winona State and posted five Ks. Zac Stange went 2-for-4 for Winona as both teams finished with seven hits in the opener.
Tom Tewes (0-1) received the loss and allowed six hits and five runs in six innings. Drury finished with seven hits and Winona State had eight.
In the nightcap both teams scored runs again in the opening frame, Winona on a sacrifice fly and Drury on a RBI single by
Clayton Engel and an RBI triple by
Riley Herron to put the Panthers up 3-1 after the first. Engel hammered the first pitch of the third inning with a solo shot over the right field wall to push the Panther lead to 4-1.
A grand slam by Herrron and RBIs doubles by Dierenfeldt and Engel in the Panther fourth highlighted a nine run five hit inning and stretched the Panther lead to 13-1.
Drury added three runs on three hits in the Panther fifth to push the lead to 16-2.
Engel went 3-for-5 with four RBIs and scored three runs, Dierenfeldt went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, and Herron had six RBIs highlighted by a grand slam as Drury finished with a season-high 15 hits.
Hunter Becker (1-0) went five innings in the win and allowed four hits against 23 batters faced.
Drury will return to US Baseball Park next for games three and four tomorrow vs. Winona State with first pitch set for noon.
