SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The GLVC softball season opened on Saturday afternoon with Drury and Missouri S&T splitting in Springfield. The Panthers picked up the game two win behind a career game from Jordyn Foley and a late RBI double from Landry Cochran.
 
GAME ONE – Missouri S&T 4, Drury 1
The Miners struck early on the Panthers with a two-spot at the top of the first inning. Taylor Nelson walked for S&T as the game's first base runner. Nelson would advance to third the next at-bat on an AJ Agers double down the right field line. After a strikeout, Nelson and Agers would both score on a Molly Fitzgerald single.
 
Drury would load the bases with two outs in the bottom half of the first but leave all three runners stranded.
 
S&T extended their advantage in the top of the second inning after an error in left field and a wild pitch put Claire Lopez on second base. Following the wild pitch, Taylor Nelson would single to score Lopez.
 
Emma Niemczyk led off the bottom of the third with a single for the Panthers as they looked to tighten the gap. A sac bunt from Isabel Ervin moved Niemczyk up 60 feet. Niemczyk would eventually reach third on a steal with the Panthers three-hole hitter, Claire Nelson up. Nelson would hit a hard single through the right side of the infield to push Niemczyk across the plate for the first Drury run of the game. The Panthers were unable to manufacture any runs from there.
 
Both offenses got off to a fast start, but slowed down until the top of the seventh, when the Miners were looking for insurance on their 3-1 advantage. Claire Lopez would walk and steal second to bring up Taylor Nelson. Nelson would do her job and put the ball on the right side of the infield to advance Lopez to third base. AJ Agers, in her return to Springfield, would single to right field to push the fourth S&T run across the plate.
 
Drury was able to limit the S&T offense late, but Drury's offense was unable to score any runs in the bottom of the seventh, dropping the Panthers' first GLVC game of the season, 4-1.
 
GAME ONE NOTES

• Drury had five hits in the game from five different Panthers: Emma Niemczyk, Isabel Ervin, Claire Nelson, Gabrielle Bax, and Reece Anderson.
• Three of the five hits from Drury were from the top three in the batting order.
• The Miners had seven hits, led by AJ Agers and Molly Fitzgerald with two each.
• Kaley Adzick pitched a complete game for Drury. She allowed four runs, three earned, and struck out six.
• Six strikeouts are a season high for Adzick.
• AJ Agers was the winning pitcher for S&T. She struck out two in the complete game.
• Drury had six opportunities with runners in scoring position; they only had one hit. Missouri S&T had 11 of those same opportunities and had three hits.
• The Panthers were 0-for-8 with two outs on the offensive end.

 
GAME TWO – Drury 1, Missouri S&T 0
Drury needed a strong performance in the pitching circle for game two after their bats struggled in game one, and they got that from Jordyn Foley.
 
The Miners had two runners reach in the first after a walk and a fielder's choice, but the Panthers kept S&T off the board.
 
Emma Niemczyk led the game off with a double for Drury into center field, but Drury could not capitalize on the early runner in scoring position.
 
The double from Niemczyk would be the last hit until the top of the sixth inning for either team. Foley would face the minimum until the top of the sixth when her no-hit bid would end on an infield single from Kaylee LaChappell.
 
After Foley was able to leave two runners stranded for the Miners in the sixth, the number of chances for Drury's offense to squeak a run across was dwindling. Entering the bottom of the sixth, it was Reece Anderson, Emma Niemczyk, and Landry Cochran due up for the Panthers. Those three would be the three to produce for Drury in game two of the doubleheader. Anderson singled to start the inning, followed by a single from Niemczyk to bring Cochran up with runners on first and second. Cochran would see two strikes before she doubled into left field to score Anderson from second. The remaining batters in the Drury offense were unable to knock another run in as the Panthers entered the seventh with a slight, 1-0 edge.
 
In the seventh, Jordyn Foley would go back to work and continue her dominance of the S&T offense. Foley put the Miners down in order to end the game.
 
GAME TWO NOTES

• Jordyn Foley picked up her fourth win of the season. She struck six batters out, tying her career high. The complete game was Foley's fourth of the season and the Panthers' first complete game shutout of the season.
• Foley did not allow a hit until the sixth inning.
• Mia Miller started for the Miners. She struck out six in the loss.
• Drury had four hits in the game, two from Emma Niemczyk.
• Landry Cochran's sixth-inning RBI double was her fifth RBI and fourth double of the season.
• S&T only had two hits in the game, both infield hits in the sixth inning.
• Lead off hitters for Drury reached base three of the six potential times in game two.
• Both teams were 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

 
UP NEXT
Drury travels to Jefferson City on March 15 for a doubleheader against Lincoln starting at 11 am.
 
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