Thomas
Josh Clark, Drury Sports Communications
3
Winner Rockhurst RU 28-13, 16-9 GLVC
2
Drury DU 26-17, 17-8 GLVC
Winner
Rockhurst RU
28-13, 16-9 GLVC
3
Final
2
Drury DU
26-17, 17-8 GLVC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Rockhurst RU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 6 1
Drury DU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 5 0

W: Trent Clemons (2-2) L: Morrison, Coleman (3-2) S: Michael Laudando (2)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Eric Doennig, Associate AD - Media Relations

Hawks Slip Past Panthers in Series Opener, 3-2

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Despite seven shutout innings from junior right-hander Kaleb Thomas, Drury baseball saw its seven-game Great Lakes Valley Conference home win streak come to an end with a 3-2 loss to Rockhurst Friday evening on Mark Worley Field at Meador Park.

Colton Wemhoff's one-out home run in the top of the ninth inning snapped a 2-2 tie, and Michael Laudando capped a strong night by the Hawks pitching staff by striking out the side in the home half of the inning to preserve the one-run victory for Rockhurst (28-13, 16-9 GLVC) in a clash of two of the conference's top clubs.

The tough-luck setback -- Drury's first in GLVC play at home since April 2 -- came on the heels of a standout mound effort from Thomas, who dueled Rockhurst starter Landon Carr over seven scoreless innings to start the contest. Thomas held the Hawks hitless until Avery Garmon's two-out single in the fourth, and permitted just three hits in all while striking out four Rockhurst hitters in the longest scoreless appearance of his Drury career.

Thomas worked out of two-on, two-out jam in the fourth by inducing an infield pop-up, then avoided trouble in the both the sixth and seventh frames as well. After the Hawks put two of their first three on to open the sixth, Thomas set down the next two hitters on fly balls to end the inning. He repeated the feat in the seventh, working around a pair of walks with a strikeout and a rally-killing fly ball to center to keep the game scoreless.

Carr was equally as effective for Rockhurst in his 7.0 scoreless frames. The right-hander fanned six Panthers and allowed just one hit -- a two-out rule-book single by Carter Wambach, who lined a hot shot to the right side of the Rockhurst infield that glanced off a Drury baserunner for the final out of the inning.

Carr retired 12 of the next 14 DU hitters in succession, allowing just a pair of walks over the stretch. He worked around a leadoff free pass to Logan Reidelberger in the sixth, coaxing a 6-4-3 double-play grounder before ending the inning with a strikeout. The senior completed his effort with a 1-2-3 seventh, during which he struck out two more Panthers to send the scoreless game to the eighth inning.

Rockhurst's offense came to life against DU reliever Coleman Morrison, as Wemhoff led off with a single to left, before Dakota Hanna drew a walk. Morrison punched out Garmon for the first out of the inning, but pinch hitter Braeden Barbee lined a 2-1 pitch into the right-center field gap, chasing home both Rockhurst baserunners for a two-run triple and a 2-0 lead.

Drury (26-17, 17-8 GLVC) responded promptly in the bottom half of the eighth, using back-to-back hits by Landon Willbrand and Luke Matschiner as a springboard to its first scoring rally of the night. Despite a double-play grounder that momentarily derailed the threat, the Panthers cashed in on Reidelberger's 18th double of the season to plate their first run, then evened it up on Connor Bain's bloop single to center.

Morrison retired Laudando on a ground ball to the right side for the first out of the ninth, but Wemhoff drove a 2-2 pitch from Morrison (3-2) over the wall in right-center to hand the visitors a one-run lead.

That would prove to be enough for Laudando, who moved to the mound from first base to work the bottom of the ninth. The right-hander issued a leadoff walk to Wambach, but rebounded to strike out the next three Panthers in order to lock up his second save.

Reidelberger led Drury's offense, finishing 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI, while fellow Panther Jackson Crider eclipsed the Panthers' all-time record for HBP's, drawing the 52nd free pass of his DU career when he was hit by a first-inning pitch from Carr.
 

LOOKING AHEAD
Drury and Rockhurst will square off again Saturday (April 25) for games two and three of the series in a 1 p.m. doubleheader. The Panthers will celebrate their 20th year as an NCAA Division II program with Alumni Day festivities prior to the start of the first game.

For all the latest information on Drury baseball, visit DruryPanthers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Panthers on X and Instagram.

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