KANSAS CITY, Mo.— The Drury Panthers out-hit Rockhurst 13-10 but couldn’t push home a tying or go-ahead run in the late innings at fell to the Hawks 9-8 at Loyola Park in Kansas City on Thursday.
Drury dropped to 6-9 and 6-7 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, while Rockhurst went to 10-7 and 7-6 in the league. The contest opened a four-game series between the two teams.
The Panthers opened the game with two runs in the first inning, but the Hawks got two runs in the second and responded to a Drury run in the third with five runs in the bottom half of the inning.
Trailing 7-5, the Panthers scored twice in the seventh inning as Nikko Calabro picked up an RBI-single, then Jacob Mitchell crossed the plate from third on a double-steal to even the score at 7-7. Rockhurst answered with a two-run home run by Cameron Gardner to go back in front, 9-7.
Drury threatened again in the eighth, and Collin Fraley’s single drove in a run that pulled the Panthers within a run of the lead. But Drury would strand two runners in the inning as the Hawks got a fly ball to end the inning, and they retired the Panthers in order in the ninth to close out the game.
Luke Lancaster (3-1) worked 2.2 innings of relief and finished the game for Rockhurst to get the win, while Mason Meeks (0-3) took the loss out of the Drury bullpen.
Drury’s Clayton Engel went 3 for 3 at the plate with three runs scored, a double, triple, and an RBI. Riley Herron and Nikko Calabro both had two hits and two RBI’s for the Panthers.
Garrett McNally was 3 for 5 for the Hawks as he drove in two runs and belted his first home run of the season.
The two teams continue the series tomorrow with a doubleheader starting at 11 am in Kansas City.
#allweDUiswin
