GARY, Ind. - The opening game of the 2022 GLIAC Tournament looked good on two different occasions as the Panthers led 5-0 after four innings and 8-5 after six innings. In the end, Purdue Northwest would not give up and rallied twice to take a 10-8 upset win on Thursday. The Panthers were hurt by the double play ball as they hit into four of them to tie the school record set all the back in March 2010 at Alma College. Davenport threw all three of their all-conference pitchers but the Pride proved that it's hard to beat a team five times in a season.

Davenport was rolling through the first four innings with a 5-0 lead. Derrick Edington, a First Team All-GLIAC selection, gave up a leadoff double to start the game but then did not allow another hit until the leadoff batter in the fifth inning. At one point, Edington retired 10 straight batters.

The Panthers got a triple by Ben Mets and a RBI groundout by Carson Eby to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Nolan Anspaugh connected on his seventh home run of the season and 21st of her career with two outs in the third for a 2-0 lead. DU scored three more times in the fourth courtesy of a Christian Petre sacrifice fly, Anspaugh RBI single, and Gaetano Vallone RBI single.

The fifth inning was a head-scratcher for Edington as he gave up five singles and two walks. He got Ray Hilbrich on a strikeout for the second out and runners on second and third. The Pride then scored all five runs with two outs started by Ethan Imlach with a RBI single. Bret Matthys and Hayden Matulich followed with back-to-back RBI singles to make it 5-3. Tyler Schultz walked to load the bases and Jake Soules also walked to make it 5-4. Edington was replaced by Carson Fischer and he walked in the tying run. He got Jack Gallagher to strike out to end the inning.

Davenport regained the lead at 8-5 in the bottom half of the fifth. Tyler Mosher drew a bases-loaded walk followed by a pitching change as Noah Burgh replaced starter Sam Shively. Burgh walked Petre to make it 7-5 and Anspaugh recorded his third hit of the game with an infield single for a three-run cushion.

Fischer tossed a clean sixth inning but ran into trouble in the seventh. The first two batters singled and then moved up a base on a wild pitch. Schultz delivered a two-run single to left to make it 8-7. After a pair of outs, the Pride again made it happen as Gallagher had a RBI double to score Schultz with the tying run. Spencer Vainavicz relieved Fischer at that point and walked Luke Montgomery. Hilbrich then stepped up and hit the eventual game-winning RBI single to left for the 9-8 lead.

Davenport had a leadoff single by Vallone in the eighth but a strikeout and double play ended the threat. PNW added a big insurance run in the top of the ninth as Anthony Fumagalli singled to lead off the inning and would later score on a sacrifice fly by Montgomery off Ricky Clark. Eby singled to start the bottom of the ninth but a double play grounder and another ground out finished the game.

Davenport falls to 30-21 overall this season while the Pride improved to 19-21. It was just the second win all-time by the Pride in 17 meetings. DU now has a long road ahead if they want to repeat as GLIAC Tournament champions. The first test comes tomorrow at noon ET (11 AM CT) against Saginaw Valley who lost 10-4 to Wayne State on Thursday. DU took three of four in the regular season against the Cardinals.