at Drury (24-24, 11-11 GLVC): 11, 10
Southern Indiana (19-19, 8-12 GLVC): 7, 5
Box Scores: Game 1 | Game 2

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.—The University of Southern Indiana softball team lost a pair of high-scoring affairs to Great Lakes Valley Conference foe Drury University Saturday. The Screaming Eagles lost game one, 11-7, before settling for a 10-5 setback in the nightcap.

After taking an early 1-0 lead on a solo home run by senior second baseman Amanda Brendel in the top of the first inning of game one, the Eagles watched as the host Panthers plated six runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 6-1 advantage.

Junior third baseman Kristen O'Haver led the second inning off with a solo home run as the Eagles chipped into the lead, but Drury (24-24, 11-11 GLVC) countered with another run in the last part of the second inning to keep its lead at five runs.

USI (19-19, 8-12 GLVC) got to within three runs in the third inning when sophomore rightfielder Katherine Belsito drove in a pair of runs with a single. Once again, though, Drury countered with three scores in the bottom of the third to put the Eagles into a 10-4 deficit.

Sophomore designated player/shortstop Stephanie Bittner and senior first baseman Brittany DeWeese each had RBI-hits in the fourth inning, but it would not be enough as the Panthers held on for the game-one victory. Senior outfielder/catcher Heather Swarts also had an RBI-single in the seventh inning.

In game two, O'Haver hit a solo home run while Bittner had a two-run single to put the Eagles up 3-2 in the top of the second inning. The Panthers, however, scored four times in the bottom of the second inning to claim a 6-3 advantage it would not relinquish.

USI scored two more times in the fourth inning to cut the Panthers' lead to 6-5 when Brendel hit a two-run single down the rightfield line. Once again, though, Drury came back with three runs in the bottom of the fourth and another tally in the sixth inning to push its advantage to five runs.

The Eagles, who have lost four straight games, had the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning with just one out, but could not push across any runs as the Panthers got consecutive outs to end the threat.

Freshman pitcher Madeline Brink was charged with the loss in game one after giving up seven runs off six hits in a little more than one inning of work, while sophomore pitcher Brittany Ashton was charged with the defeat in game two after surrendering nine runs off eight hits in 3 1/3 innings of work. Brink falls to 9-9 with the decision, while Ashton falls to 0-1.

USI returns to the USI Softball Field Wednesday at 2 p.m. when it hosts Kentucky Wesleyan College in a GLVC doubleheader to begin a six-game homestand. USI, which is tied for eighth in the GLVC standings with Rockhurst University, closes the regular season next weekend with doubleheaders against Rockhurst and Quincy University.