Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 (Rolla, Mo.) - Shelby Michaelis (Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf) had a big day at the plate on Tuesday going 5-for-6 and drove in all six runs as Missouri S&T split with Drury taking the opener 1-0 and saw its late rally fall short in dropping the nightcap 6-5 at the S&T Softball Field. Michaelis finished the day hitting for the cycle and was a triple shy of the cycle in game two alone.

The opening game was pitcher's duel between Drury's Jessica Kjeldgaard and S&T's Becca Strope (Glen Carbon, Ill./Edwardsville) as the two traded zeroes through the first four innings though both hurlers had to work out of trouble in the early going. The Lady Miners (12-31, 7-23 GLVC) broke through against Kjeldgaard in the home half of the fifth. With one out Andi Davis (Blue Springs, Mo./Archbishop O'Hara ) reached on an error by the shortstop and then stole second with two outs to get in scoring position. Michaelis battled through a nine pitch at-bat fouling off some tough pitches before lining a triple into right center to score Davis.

That would be all the run support Strope needed as she retired the final 10 hitters she faced and set the Panthers (14-34, 11-19 GLVC) down in order each of the last three innings to complete the shutout. Strope allowed just five hits in the game while striking out three. She needed only 84 pitches to earn her fourth shutout of the season. S&T finished with six hits in the contest led by Michaelis with two.

Drury came out swinging in the nightcap as its first six hitters reached safely to start the game. Carson Forge highlighted the outburst with a three-run homer off the top of the fence in right center to put the Panthers up 3-0. Carissa Price added an RBI single to score Kaitlyn Bowles and Kelsey James scored on a wild pitch to make it 5-0.

The Lady Miners responded in the bottom of the inning with Davis and Kyra Slemp (Roeland Park, Kan./Shawnee Mission East) reaching on back-to-back singles to start the game. Michaelis hammered the first pitch she saw over the fence in center field for her third home run of the season to cut the margin to 5-3.

Drury added another run in the second inning on a throwing error by Cailey Baker (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield) that allowed Kari Hillenburg to score from third to make it 6-3. S&T got that run back in the bottom of the third. Davis led off with a single and scored on Michaelis's one out double to right. Michaelis missed her second home run of the game by a couple of feet. Baker then singled off the shortstop's glove to put runners on the corner with one out. The Lady Miners couldn't take advantage of the opportunity as Adrienne Kruse (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) popped up to first and Baker was thrown out at second trying to steal to end the threat.

S&T had another opportunity in the fifth getting a pair of hits from Cassie Rizzo (Webster Groves, Mo./Webster Groves) and Michaelis to put runners on the corner with two outs, but Baker fouled out to first to end the inning. In the seventh inning the Lady Miners got a walk and an infield single to start the frame. Slemp sacrificed the runners over for Michaelis. Michaelis drove home Rizzo with a sacrifice fly to make it 6-5 and sent Davis to third. Baker nearly tied the game ripping a shot foul down the left field line before striking out to end the game.

S&T was outhit 10-9 in game two and was led by Davis and Michaelis with three hits each. Slemp, Baker and Rizzo had a hit apiece. Bethany Rader (Memphis, Mo./Scotland County ) took the loss allowing five runs on six hits. Amber Duncan (Centralia, Mo./Centralia) gave the Lady Miners a chance pitching seven innings allowing an unearned run on four hits and two walks.

S&T heads to Kansas City this weekend to take on William Jewell on Saturday afternoon at 12 p.m. and will face Rockhurst on Sunday at 12 p.m. to conclude the season.