BOLIVAR, Mo. -- A combination of strong pitching and gusty winds turned a doubleheader against Drury into a defensive battle, but the Bearcats dropped two close ones to the Panthers, 2-1 in the opener, and 6-2 in the second. Catcher Sarah Brison went 4-for-5 in the two games, and scored SBU's lone run in the first contest.

Drury started off quickly, with a two-run home run in the first inning of game one, but were then shut down the rest of the game. Bearcat pitcher Josie Rose only allowed two more hits the rest of the game, and no one reached third base for Drury the rest of the game.

SBU had chances to get those two runs back, namely in the fifth inning, when Brison singled to lead off the inning, then advanced to second and third with two more SBU singles. With the bases loaded and one out, center fielder Devon McNeal hit a very unlucky line drive to the Drury third baseman, who held on to the shot, then doubled off Brison on third to end the inning. The Bearcats would get one run in the final inning, but couldn't complete the comeback.

In the second game, SBU looked again to mount a comeback, down 4-0 in the sixth inning, as BreAnn Proctor led off with a double to left-center, then was brought home by Krysta Baderdeen's single to make it 4-1. After Brison's fourth hit of the day drove in Baderdeen, the Drury lead was cut to 4-2; that was as close as the Bearcats would get, however, as the Panthers tacked on two more in the seventh to win by a final of 6-2. Despite the score, Karly Bitters pitched a solid second game, as only one run she gave up was earned. Bitters allowed just six hits over 6 2/3 innings.

With the losses, SBU falls to 12-20 on the season. The Bearcats pick up MIAA competition again this Friday and Saturday, April 9-10, when they host Missouri Western on Friday for a doubleheader starting at 2 pm, then Truman State on Saturday for another two games scheduled to start at 2 pm as well.