ST. CHARLES, Mo.— The Drury Panthers opened Great Lakes Valley Conference play with a doubleheader sweep of Missouri-St. Louis on Saturday, winning game one 11-1 in seven innings, then taking game two 3-1. The two games were played at the Lou Brock Complex in St. Charles, Missouri, due to wet grounds on the field at UMSL.
 
The Panthers raised their record to 4-7 and 2-0 in the GLVC, while the Tritons dropped to 8-7 and 0-2 in the league.
 
In game one, Drury scored at least one run in six of the seven innings. The Panthers opened up a 3-0 lead in the first with RBI singles from Wes Collins and Tyler Bastunas and a bases-loaded walk by Kaden Byrne.
 
Max Elmer scored three times in the game, and Luke Burk went 2 for 5 with two runs, two RBIs, a double and a home run.
 
Cody Bahl (2-1) went all seven innings for the win, allowing seven hits and one run with no walks and five strikeouts.
 
Drury starter Wes Laaker held Missouri-St. Louis to three hits in game two of the doubleheader on his way to a 3-1 complete-game win. Laaker (1-2) retired 15 straight batters during an outing where he surrendered one run on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts.
 
Burk homered in both halves of the doubleheader as the Galena, Missouri native belted is second home run of the day with a solo shot in the second inning and went 2 for 3 with a pair of RBIs.
 
Drury led 1-0 going into the sixth and took a 3-0 lead on RBI hits from Collins and Burk. The Tritons scored their lone run of the game in the bottom of the sixth, but the Panthers got out of the frame with a two-run and got a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh inning to close the game.
 
The two teams resume their four-game series on Sunday with a doubleheader starting at noon at UMSL.
                                                 
 
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