SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Thanks to a bases-clearing triple by Jackson Bryant, Griffon Baseball broke through after a 3-3 tie in the eighth inning to beat the Drury Panthers 9-6 Saturday afternoon at Meador Park. 

Zack Cushing (2-0) picked up the victory out of the bullpen for Missouri Western (6-2). The right-hander went three innings, giving up five runs, all of them earned, on five hits, allowing one walk and striking out three. Brayden Haug also made an impact on the mound for the Griffons, starting the ballgame and throwing six innings, giving up one run on three hits, with two walks and eight strikeouts.

Travis Wiese led the way offensively for the Griffons, going 2-for-4 in the ballgame with a double, a home run and two RBI. Bryant provided a standout day at the plate as well, going 1-for-5 with a triple and three RBI. Ryan Koval also helped out, going 2-for-4 for with a double, a walk and two RBI.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Griffons were trailing 1-0 in the third inning when they first put runs on the board. Koval drove in two runs for MWSU with a single, that scored Blake Anderson and Quinton Robertson.

The Panthers failed to push any runs across before the Griffons built on their lead in the seventh inning. Wiese came across to score the lone run of the inning for MWSU, which brought the score to 3-1 in favor of the Griffons.

Drury fired back to even the ballgame at three before Western reclaimed a 9-3 advantage in the eighth inning. The Griffons bats heated up in the inning, scoring six runs, including a three-run triple off the bat of Bryant and a two-run home run from Wiese. Drury put three runs on the scoreboard before the game was over, but MWSU still held on for the 9-6 win.

GAME NOTES

• Haug struck out eight Panthers hitters.
• The Griffons power output was led by Wiese, who compiled two extra base hits in the ballgame.
• Every MWSU starter reached base safely in the win.
• Western's highest-scoring inning was the eighth, when it pushed six runs across.
• The Griffons took the lead at 2-1 in the top half of the third and never lost that advantage.
• Haug put together six innings of one-run ball for the Griffons.
• The Griffons out-hit the Panthers at a 10-8 clip.
• Anderson stole two bases in Saturday's game.
• Western went 4-for-7 (.571) with runners in scoring position.
• Griffon pitchers faced 39 Drury hitters in the game, allowing 11 ground balls and four fly balls while striking out 11.
• Wiese led the Griffons at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBI.

UP NEXT
Western and Drury will play a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. tomorrow back at Meador Park. Game one will be seven innings, and game two is scheduled for a full nine innings.