EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The University of Southern Indiana baseball team dropped the opener of a three-game series with Drury University, 5-1, Thursday evening at the USI Baseball Field. USI falls to 3-7 on the season, while Drury goes to 8-5.
 
After the Screaming Eagles and the Panthers battled through five scoreless frames, Drury jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the sixth to start a string of runs in each of the final four innings. The Panthers scored once in the sixth, seventh, and eighth before sealing the win with a pair of runs in the ninth.
 
USI posted its only run of the game in the bottom of seventh, when sophomore catcher Logan Brown (Mt. Vernon, Indiana) drove in junior first baseman Nick Gobert (Jasper, Indiana) with an RBI-single up the middle. The 2-1 score after seven innings was as close as USI would come in the final three frames.
 
On the mound, senior right-hander Colin Nowak (Carol Springs, Illinois) took the loss despite having one of USI's best starts of the year. Nowak (1-2) allowed two runs on seven hits, while striking out three in seven strong innings.
 
The Eagles and the Panthers conclude the three-game series Friday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader. Live coverage, including statistics and audio broadcast can be found on GoUSIEagles.com.