TOPEKA, Kan. – Drury softball ended the Washburn Invitational with two losses to drop to 5-8 on the season. The Panthers fell to Emporia State, 11-0, and then lost to Northwest Missouri State, 9-1 in five innings.
 
GAME ONE – Emporia State 11, Drury 0
Jordyn Foley got the start in the circle for the Panthers. Foley shut down the Hornets' offense in the first two innings, allowing only one hit, while the Drury offense reached base once in that frame, a hit by pitch from Haley Bryant to lead off the bottom of the second inning.
 
The third inning is when the Emporia bats came alive. A lead-off single followed by a steal and a sac bunt put one Emporia base runner in scoring position. A second one would join shortly after another walk and steal a second. The Hornets put the first two runs of the game on the board in the following at-bat on a double from Sydney Wagner. Brooke Flewelling would replace Wagner at second after a double scored Wagner for the third run.
 
Drury did not answer the three runs.
 
Emporia doubled their lead in the top of the fifth inning following three hits and an error from the Drury defense.
 
The Hornets added one in the sixth inning and four in the top of the seventh inning to make their total 11. Drury did not have a single runner advance to third base in the 11-run loss.
 
GAME ONE NOTES

• Drury only had three hits in the game, one from each of Haley Bryant, Kaley Adzick, and Landry Cochran.
• The Panthers did draw four walks in the loss.
• Two errors from Drury resulted in one run to score.
• Jordyn Foley falls to 1-3 on the season. She threw four innings, allowing seven hits, five runs (four earned), walked one, and struck out one.
• Natalie Wilks relieved Foley. Wilks pitched the final three innings. She gave up six hits, six runs, walked two, and struck out three.
• Emporia's Kinsey Perine was four-for-four with three runs scored and two RBIs. She had a solo home run in the sixth.
• The Hornets stole four bases in the loss. Drury attempted two steals and was caught on both attempts.

 
GAME TWO – Northwest Missouri State 9, Drury 1 (5 inn.)
After a slow first game of the day, the Panthers got on base early in game two of the day against Northwest Missouri State. In the top of the second, Haley Bryant led off with a single, advancing to second on a wild pitch. Gabrielle Bax moved Bryant to third on a single of her own.
Northwest's Jadyn Streigle would throw another wild pitch to move Bax to second. Following a strikeout, the Panthers still had only one out with two runners in scoring position. Neither of those runners would score after a lineout double play ended the inning.
 
With Drury not able to capitalize on a prime scoring opportunity, Northwest took advantage and scored six runs in the bottom of the second inning. The Bearcats recorded five hits in the inning, but only one of the runs was an earned run to Kaley Adzick, as the Panthers had two errors in the field.
 
The Bearcats added one in the bottom of the fourth to move their advantage to seven.
 
Drury showed fight in the top of the fifth, scoring Reece Anderson after she led the inning off with a walk and moved around the diamond on a sac bunt, wild pitch, and a ground out from Emma Niemczyk to score.
 
Needing just two runs to enact the run rule, Northwest was given three free passes in the fifth inning and walked the game off on a throwing error to score Sara Farlow, giving the Bearcats the 9-1 win.
 
GAME TWO NOTES

• The Panthers only had four hits in the game.
• Emma Niemczyk had one of those hits and an RBI in the game.
• Kaley Adzick started in the circle. Adzick pitched three innings, giving up six runs (one earned) and walking one.
• Brie Chilton and Natalie Wilks appeared out of the bullpen; the two combined for three walks, all in the bottom of the fifth inning.
• Chilton gave up two hits and three runs (one earned).
• Drury had three errors in the game; their season total is now at 16 through 13 games.
• The Panthers dropped to 5-8 in the season. Through 13 games last season, Drury was 4-9.

 
UP NEXT
Drury is off until March 7, when they travel to Central Oklahoma for a doubleheader starting at noon.
 
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