SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – It took Game Two and the final game of the regular season, but the Drury Panthers clinched a Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament berth after their doubleheader split with Lewis on Sunday at Thompson Field in Springfield. The Panthers lost game one 3-2 but held off the Flyers for a 2-1 win in game two.
Drury will advance to the postseason 25-25 and 13-11 in the GLVC. Lewis, who entered the weekend ranked ninth in the Midwest Region, went to 32-17 and 14-10 in the conference.
The Flyers had an early 2-0 lead in game one, but the Panthers tied the game in the fourth inning on a two-run home run by
Victoria Garland, her fourth homer of the year. Lewis broke the tie an inning later, though, on a sacrifice fly to center field by Payton Wuske.
Drury threatened down the stretch and had base runners in the fifth, sixth, and seventh but left four on base in the final three innings in the one-run loss.
Kristina Bettis (14-13) took the loss for Drury, while Delany Garden (14-6) got the win for the Flyers.
The Panthers fought off a late-inning push by Lewis to earn a split in the twin-bill.
Drury went in front with a run in the second inning as
Meagan Mullaney scored from second base on an infield single by
Sophia Luetticke. The Panthers took a 2-0 lead in the fourth as Mullaney's sacrifice fly to left field drove in pinch-runner
Lilly Hinson.
Drury held the Flyers off the scoreboard until the sixth when Lewis led off the frame with a double by Kristin Graham, who scored on the next at-bat on a single by Jayln Powell. Panthers starter
Karsyn Smith retired the next three batters to close out the inning.
Lewis put two runners on base and had the tying run in scoring position when
Kristina Bettis entered the game to record a strikeout that ended the game.
Smith (4-3) got the win for the Panthers going 6.2 innings, allowing six hits and one run with one walk and one strikeout. Bettis picked up her second save of the year, and Allie Wondrusek (9-5) took the loss for the Flyers.
Drury will advance to the GLVC Tournament and will play the top seed, and sixth-ranked Indianapolis Greyhounds on Thursday at 12:30 pm at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria, Illinois.
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