SAGINAW, Mich. – The fifth-seeded Drury Softball team defeated the fourth-seeded Findlay Oilers in the first round of the NCAA-II Midwest Regional Tournament, 11-7. The Panthers improved to 34-21, the Oilers dropped to 33-15.
Drury struck first in the game. A single from
Landry Cochran started the inning.
Taylor Hartsell reached first on a single that moved Cochran to second.
AJ Agers would then hit a hard line drive off the glove of the shortstop to score Cochran, Agers was awarded a hit.
The Panthers added two more in the second inning.
Brooklyn LaChappa led off the inning with a walk. Two batters later,
Reece Anderson hit a long line drive down the left field line for her first career home run, scoring LaChappa and Anderson.
Gabrielle Bax followed it up with a double but was left stranded.
Reece Anderson followed her first career home run with a difficult double play in the bottom of the second to keep the Oilers off the board.
The Drury offense blew the game open in the third inning with five more runs. The first run of the inning came on a
Kaley Adzick at-bat. The Findlay pitcher threw the ball away to score
Taylor Hartsell.
Brooklyn LaChappa added the next run on a fielder's choice. The sixth run of the game came on a bases-loaded walk to
Isabel Ervin, who was pinch-hitting for
Sophia Luetticke.
Reece Anderson scored on the next pitch after a wild throw. Another wild pitch scored
Gabrielle Bax, giving Drury an 8- 0 lead after the top of the third.
Findlay got on the board in their half of the third. A double followed by a homer to center field gave the Oilers two runs.
In the fourth, Findlay tightened the game to one run after three singles and a wild pitch.
The Panthers extended the lead in the fifth and got some insurance with a
Landry Cochran home run.
The Oilers did not threaten the rest of the game, giving the Panthers an 11-7 win.
Landry Cochran went 2-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored.
Taylor Hartsell was 2-4.
Reece Anderson was 1-2 with a home run, walk, and hit by pitch.
Jordyn Foley got the start in the circle but was pulled after the second inning for
Natalie Wilks. Wilks got the win to improve to 6-2. Foley reentered as a pitcher in the fourth inning and had a three-inning save, her first of the season.
The win was Drury's second-ever NCAA Tournament win. The first win was in 2022 against Lindenwood, a 14-inning 1-0 win for the Panthers.
Drury will play at 11 am on Friday against the winner of the Saginaw Valley State and Ferris State game. Findlay will play the loser of that game at 1:30 pm.
#WonDrury
