SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Drury took game three of a four-game series from Grand Valley State in walk-off fashion before falling in the series finale on Monday.
 
Game One, 6-5 Drury
Coming off two losses to GVSU yesterday, Drury had to get on base early and manufacture runs. Luke Matschiner did just that, leading the game off with a hit-by-pitch and then stealing second. A failed pickoff attempt from the Lakers resulted in the ball in center field and Matschiner crossing the plate for the game's first run.
 
Grand Valley would put five on the board with four in the third and one in the fifth before Drury would score again. Trailing 5-1 in the bottom of the sixth another error would give Drury three runs. Gabe Russell would hit a slow roller to third resulting in an off-target throw to score Jackson Crider and Matschiner. Russell would end up on third. The following at-bat, Hesston Gray singles into right field to score Russell, tightening the game to a one-run GVSU advantage.
 
Still trailing by one with three outs to give Drury would give the Lakers all they could handle. A pinch-hit walk from Cannon Stuckey got the train moving. Matschiner would follow with another walk advancing Conner Flieg, who was running for Stuckey. A single from Wyatt Morgan would load the bases for Jackson Crider. After fouling two pitches off, Crider would hit a hard-line drive over the centerfielder's head to score Flieg and Matschiner and walk the game off for Drury, giving them their first win over GVSU, 6-5.
 
Crider led the Panthers going 3-4 with two RBIs. Morgan was right behind him with two base hits. Markell Dixon started for Drury going six innings allowing five runs and striking out three. Kade Biellier was the one to secure the win after pitching in the seventh inning, only allowing one hit before it became a double play.
 
Game Two, 9-4 GVSU
Grand Valley's offense from game two of the series showed up for the finale. The Lakers took a 7-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth, led by two homers in the fourth inning. Their pitching was also able to keep Drury without a hit until the fifth inning.
 
Luke Matschiner secured the first hit of the finale for Drury in the fifth inning and that gave the Panthers the momentum they needed. The next batter, Wyatt Morgan, singled into center field to score Zach Ericsson, followed by a single from Jackson Crider to score Matschiner. Hesston Gray would close the Drury scoring with a double into the left-center gap to score Morgan and Crider from first. Heading to the sixth inning Drury trailed 7-4.
 
The Panthers were unable to ride their momentum into the sixth as Jonas Gullbrandsen hit his third home run of the series to add two to the Lakers' total. Drury was unable to push any more runs across the plate and fell 9-4.
 
Matschiner, Morgan, Crider, Gray, and Connor Bain all tallied one hit for Drury. Jackson Crider extended his hitting streak to nine games. Wesley Laaker started the game for Drury only able to go 3.2 innings giving up six runs in 20 batters faced. Zach McKinnis, Nick Panagos, and Jacob House all pitched out of the bullpen.
 
UP NEXT
Drury will travel to St. Louis to square off with #25 Maryville in a four-game non-conference series starting Friday at 3 pm.
 
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