Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 GAME 1: Drury 10, Parkside 6
GAME 2: Drury 19, Parkside 2
The Parkside Baseball team started their season on Sunday with a pair of losses to Drury University in Springfield, Missouri. The Rangers will look to notch their first win of the season against the Panthers on Monday at 1 p.m. in Springfield, Missouri.
GAME 1 RECAP
Drury got the scoring started early with one run in the bottom of the first inning and two more coming in the bottom of the third. Parkside answered back with a two-run home run from Sophomore Andrew Harris in the top of the fourth to cut the deficit to two. Drury extended their lead back to three with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning. Junior Max Bruff singled and later scored on a wild pitch in the top of the fifth inning. Senior Bryce Inman then hit a double to left field scoring Harris and Junior Jared Heinzen to take a one-run lead in the fifth. The comeback by the Rangers proved to be not enough as Drury scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh to take a four run lead and end the game.
Inman led the Rangers with a pair of hits and two RBI's on four at-bats. Senior Hunter Weddel also had two hits in his season debut. On the mound, Junior Caden Bronkhorst started the game and allowed four runs on three hits in three innings of work while walking four. Junior Andrew Sumner is credited with the loss after allowing two runs on two hits in the final inning.
GAME 2 RECAP
The Panthers bats stayed hot to start the second game scoring four runs in the first to take a early lead. The runs kept coming for Drury tacking on five more in the bottom of the second. Bruff keeps his hitting streak alive with a two-run home run in the top of the third to cut the Rangers deficit to seven. Drury answered back with one run coming in each the third and fourth innings. The Rangers were unable to comeback after allowing eight more runs to the Panthers in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The Rangers were held to only four hits, two of which coming from Bruff as well as the lone RBI's of the game. Junior Aidan Stark started the game and allowed six runs on six hits in his 14 batters faced. Freshman Noah Gerritson came in and threw three innings while allowing eight runs on seven hits and walking three. Freshman Max Kasallis finished the game with 1.1 innings pitched and allowed the final two runs and walking three batters.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Rangers will finish their three game series against Drury on Monday and will head to Springfield, Illinois, March 5^th and 6^th to face Illinois-Springfield in a three game series and finish their road trip before playing at home against Upper Iowa on March 9^th.