ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Drury started their Saturday in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament with a 9-7 win over Indianapolis but were eliminated later that night in a 14-2 loss to seventh-ranked Illinois Springfield in St. Charles, Missouri.
Drury stayed alive, winning their first game of the day in a 9-7 victory over Indianapolis and avenged their opening-round loss to the Greyhounds. The Panthers owned a 9-4 lead going into the ninth, but the Greyhounds threatened with three runs in the frame to pull within two, and they had the tying run in scoring position when reliever
Nate Boyle got a strikeout to end the game.
Indianapolis (21-31) took a 3-1 lead in the third, but the Panthers grabbed the advantage in the bottom half of the frame when
Aaron Mann drove in two runs with a triple. Mann then scored on a wild pitch giving Drury a 4-3 lead.
The Panthers added a run in the fourth on a bunt by
Brant Schaffitzel and two more runs in the fifth as
Wes Collins crossed the plate on a wild pitch and
Kaden Helsel drove in a run with a double. Drury stretched the lead to 9-4 in the seventh inning on hits from
Jackson Dierenfeldt and Schaffitzel.
Schaffitzel finished the game going 3 for 4 with a run and two RBIs.
Cody Bahl (5-1) got the win for Drury while Logan Peterson (2-4) took the loss and
Nate Boyle earned his seventh save.
Drury owned a 2-1 lead over Illinois Springfield in the sixth inning, but the Prairie Stars turned the game around, scoring seven times in the frame.
UIS took their first lead of the game on a two-run home run by Kal Youngquist. With two outs in the frame, the Prairie Stars got another two-run shot, this time from Hunter Phelps. Illinois Springfield then took advantage of two errors, two wild pitches, and a bases-loaded walk that contributed to three more mores to give the Prairie Stars an 8-2 lead.
Illinois Springfield then put the game away, scoring six runs in the seventh, capped by a grand slam from the GLVC Player of the Year, Zion Pettigrew.
Jackson Dierenfeldt went 2 for 2 for the Panthers with a run scored and a double.
Clarke Davenport (1-1) got the win for Illinois Springfield while
Tyler Bastunas (4-2) took the loss for Drury.
The Prairie Stars raised their record to 42-8 and advanced to the GLVC Championship Game on Sunday to play either Lewis or Quincy for the title.
Drury ends the tournament with a 38-16 record. Their 38 wins are the third-most in the program's 16-year team history.
Thursday GLVC Tourn. Scores
#4-B Indianapolis 11 #1-G Drury 1
#2-B Quincy 12 #3-G Lindenwood 3
#1-B Ill. Springfield 5 #4-G William Jewell 4
#2-G Maryville 3 #3-B Lewis 1
Friday Scores
Lewis 12 William Jewell 6
DRURY 12 Lindenwood 2
Ill. Springfield 12 Maryville 2
Quincy 4 Indianapolis 3
Saturday Scores
Game 9, Lewis 5 Maryville 4
Game 10, DRURY 9 Indianapolis 7
Game 11, Lewis 6 Quincy 4
Game 12, Illinois Springfield 14 DRURY 2
Sunday Schedule
Game 13, Lewis vs. Quincy, (TBA)
Game 14, GLVC Championship, Lewis/Quincy vs. Illinois Springfield, (TBA)
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