SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Drury baseball saw its four-game win streak come to an end Sunday afternoon, as Lewis tallied 19 hits in a 14-10 victory over the Panthers to salvage the final game of the two clubs' Great Lakes Valley Conference series at Mark Worley Field at Meador Park.
Drury, which claimed wins in the first three games of the season's opening GLVC series, rallied from a 6-2 deficit with a four-run fifth inning, before the Flyers seized the lead with a three-run rally of their own in the sixth. The visitors tacked on five additional runs in the eighth and ninth innings to build a seven-run cushion, and Rowan Smyth shut down a Drury comeback bid in the ninth to secure his first save of the season.
Jayden Gonzalez led the Flyers attack with three runs scored as part of a 4-for-5 effort, and both Chris Daugherty and Daniel O'Brien added three-hit performances.
The Panthers (12-8, 3-1 GLVC) rode the momentum from Saturday's doubleheader sweep to an early lead in the finale, as DU's Luke Matschiner doubled to lead off the first, before Jackson Crider launched his fifth home run of the season to stake his club to a 2-0 lead.
Lewis (6-14, 1-3 GLVC) answered in the top of the second against Drury starting pitcher Markell Dixon, using a Panther throwing error and the first of two Cole Clemens run-scoring hits to tie the game at 2-2.
The Flyers built a 5-2 lead with their three-run fourth, taking the lead on Clemens' RBI-single before adding two more tallies on a Constantine Coins ground out and a Jimmy Spellman base hit. Gonzalez helped the Flyers stretch their lead in the fifth when the Lewis third baseman singled and swiped second, then moved to third on a wild pitch to set up O'Brien's run-scoring single.
But the Panthers generated a big inning in the fifth, using a Crider single and walks to Matschiner and Connor Bain to load the bases. Miller was hit by a pitch to bring in the first run of the inning, before Carter Wambach delivered a two-run double to right-center. Jackson Edwards brought home the tying run with his sac fly to center, making it a 6-6 contest.
The Flyers responded immediately, reclaiming the lead on Kyle Peterson's RBI-single to open their three-run sixth against DU reliever Klayton Kiser (0-2).Gonzalez added to his big afternoon with a run-scoring single, before O'Brien drove in his second run of the day with a two-out single up the middle for a 9-6 Lewis lead.
Lewis added to its lead on Tylor Phommachanhom's three-run homer in the eighth, then extended the bulge to 14-7 on Daugherty's two-run single in the ninth.
Drury made one final push against Lewis reliever Carter Endisch, scoring on Miller's single to center after a walk and a hit batsman opened the home half of the ninth. Landon Willbrand brought home a second DU run with his RBI-single, and Joseph Ward plated another with a sacrifice fly.
But Smyth slammed the door on the rally with a called third strike to Matschiner for the final out.
Crider, Matschiner and Willbrand turned in two-hit games to lead the Panthers, while Miller and Wambach drove in two runs apiece.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Panthers travel to Pittsburg, Kan., Tuesday (March 17) for a 3 p.m., non-conference matchup against No. 1 Pittsburg State.
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