(OZARK, Mo., Feb. 25)—The McKendree University baseball team battled host Drury University to the final pitch Saturday afternoon before dropping a 3-2 decision to the host Panthers in non-conference play.
 
Devan O'Bryan collected his third hit of the afternoon, a two-out, RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift Drury to the walk-off win. McKendree moves to 1-5 on the year and will wrap up its four-game series against the Panthers Sunday afternoon with a nine-inning contest at U.S. Baseball Park in Ozark, Mo. First pitch is set for noon.
 
McKendree overcame an early 2-0 deficit by scratching out runs in the fifth and sixth innings to tie the contest at 2-2. However, Drury staged a two-out rally in its final at-bat, using a walk and error to set up O'Bryan's game-winning hit. The Panthers have now taken the first three games of the weekend series from the Bearcats.
 
Senior catcher Chris Deaville (Rantoul, IL/Rantoul) rapped out two hits to lead McKendree, which included a game-tying RBI double that knotted the contest in the top of the sixth inning. Senior outfielder Ryan Cates (Anderson, IN/Yorktown) collected the Bearcats' other extra-base hit of the day, a two-out double in the third inning.
 
Drury (5-2) scored single runs in the first and second innings to grab an early 2-0 advantage. McKendree began its comeback in the fifth inning when junior infielder Jeff Wetzler (Newburgh, IN/Castle) led off with an infield single. Wetzler then moved around to third base following a pair of ground outs before racing home with the Bearcats' first run of the day thanks to a wild pitch.
 
McKendree needed just two at-bats in the top of the sixth inning to pull even against Drury. Senior infielder Isaac Fisher (Washington, IL/Washington) led off the frame with a single up the middle, and he came around to score on Deaville's run-scoring double to right-center field. The 2-2 score stood until the bottom of the ninth, when the Panthers pushed across the game-winning run.
 
Senior right-hander Terry Deaville (Rantoul, IL/Rantoul) turned in one of the best starts of the early season for McKendree. Deaville scattered nine hits over 6 2/3 innings. He allowed two earned runs while walking two and striking out three batters. Senior right-hander Matt Henning (Wichita, KS/Bishop Carroll) also pitched well despite being charged with the hard-luck loss. In two innings of work, Henning allowed one earned run on one hit with a walk and a pair of strikeouts.